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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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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: cue · hand · patient · branch · deal · stock · safe · drill

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cue — a signal
  3. hand — help
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. hand — in cards
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stock — goods
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. drill — the tool
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cue — for pool
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. drill — army training
  19. cue — a hint
  20. stock — shares
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. drill — a practice
  24. branch — a division

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