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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: pass · kick · bore · patient · fan · net · jam · branch

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. kick — in football
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. net — in sport
  13. pass — a permit
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. net — after costs
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bore — to drill
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. branch — a division
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — for catching
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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