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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: present · branch · sharp · calf · clip · drill · patient · coach

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. present — the time now
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. clip — to cut
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. drill — a practice
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. branch — a division
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. sharp — clever
  15. present — a gift
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. clip — a video
  19. present — there
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. drill — army training

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