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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · branch · kick · mug · deal · squash · game · straw

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. squash — to crush
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. mug — to rob
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mug — a face
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. deal — to handle
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. game — wild animals
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mug — a cup
  23. branch — a division
  24. straw — a straw man

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