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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 · chip · branch · saw · field · pitcher · trunk · lash

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. saw — the tool
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. field — for sport
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. field — a subject
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chip — to eat
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. saw — the tool
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. field — farmland
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. chip — for betting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. patient — a sick person

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