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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.

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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: patient · lie · pitcher · branch · game · mark · bat · stick

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mark — a trace
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mark — a grade
  17. game — a match
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. game — wild animals
  24. branch — of a bank

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