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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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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 · bowl · branch · kid · patient · stick · hand · ruler

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. branch — a division
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. kid — to tease
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. hand — help
  15. band — a ring
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. band — a music group
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hand — in cards
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. kid — child

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