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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 120 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: band · cabinet · patient · branch · mark · wound · stick · wind

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wound — an injury
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. band — a music group
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. band — a ring
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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