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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: toast · cap · pop · foot · present · patient · branch · coach

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cap — a hat
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. cap — a lid
  6. present — a gift
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pop — music
  16. present — the time now
  17. toast — bread
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. cap — of ice
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. present — there

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