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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · bay · jam · branch · sharp · object · patient · race

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. sharp — clever
  4. race — the arms race
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. object — to protest
  8. race — a contest
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. object — an aim
  11. race — humankind
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. object — a thing
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com