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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: calf · mark · content · branch · court · patient · lie · bank

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. content — the amount
  5. bank — for money
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. court — for sport
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. court — of law
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. lie — to recline
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. court — of a king
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bank — for money
  19. mark — a grade
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. branch — a division
  22. mark — a trace
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bank — of a river

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