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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 · content · tear · date · bass · suit · patient · game

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. suit — to fit
  3. game — wild animals
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. suit — in cards
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. tear — from crying
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. content — happy
  12. game — a match
  13. bass — the fish
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bass — low music
  17. tear — to rip
  18. date — the fruit
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. branch — a division
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. content — the amount

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