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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: patient · stem · kid · pitcher · game · branch · wound · bowl

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. kid — child
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stem — to come from
  16. game — a match
  17. wound — an injury
  18. branch — a division
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pitcher — a jug

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