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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: straw · chair · bear · cue · toast · dip · patient · branch

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. branch — a division
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. toast — bread
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. cue — a signal

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