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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: branch · present · row · patient · board · kid · bowl · mine

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. kid — child
  3. present — a gift
  4. board — to get on
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. present — the time now
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mine — for digging
  16. row — to paddle
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. row — a line
  19. kid — to tease
  20. present — there
  21. branch — a division
  22. board — a committee
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bowl — a dish

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