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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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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: can · bear · patient · hand · pitcher · snap · coach · branch

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. branch — a division
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. can — to be able to
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. can — a tin
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — help
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bear — the animal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. can — a tin

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