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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: wake · fan · tear · mug · lash · patient · branch · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mug — to rob
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mug — a cup
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mug — a face
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. branch — a division
  24. tear — from crying

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