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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.

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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 · race · branch · chip · patient · coach · pit · craft

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. craft — boats
  7. pit — a hole
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. race — humankind
  10. pit — in a race
  11. chip — for betting
  12. race — the arms race
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. branch — a division
  19. chip — to eat
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. race — a contest
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. coach — a trainer

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