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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: spell · pitcher · patient · ball · branch · deal · capital · season

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. spell — letters
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — money
  9. ball — a great time
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. season — of the year
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — magic
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. capital — a city
  20. spell — a short time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. season — in sport

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