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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 120 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
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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: patient · fork · bat · saw · wound · bowl · branch · bore

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. branch — a division
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. fork — in a road
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bore — to drill

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