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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.

Make a worksheet

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: hand · rest · fork · patient · clip · branch · squash · can

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. can — a tin
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. squash — to crush
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fork — in a road
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rest — a break
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rest — what's left
  16. hand — in cards
  17. can — a tin
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. clip — for paper
  20. hand — help
  21. can — to be able to
  22. clip — a video
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. branch — a division

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