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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 116 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: mug · branch · spring · patient · fork · kick · cell · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. spring — the season
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. spring — a coil
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mug — a cup
  13. kick — in football
  14. branch — a division
  15. cell — in biology
  16. fork — in a road
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. spring — of water
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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