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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: stick · rash · patient · straw · branch · game · pitcher · suit

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. game — a match
  3. suit — to fit
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rash — a series
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. game — wild animals
  17. branch — a division
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. suit — clothes
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rash — hasty

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