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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: bore · bear · fan · branch · patient · cell · trunk · straw

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bear — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cell — a phone
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. cell — in biology
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. branch — a division
  24. bear — the animal

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