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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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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 · cold · suit · wind · bear · bark · pass · branch

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wind — moving air
  3. suit — in cards
  4. cold — not warm
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pass — a permit
  9. branch — a division
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — to fit
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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