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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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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: cue · patient · capital · bore · cell · bank · rock · branch

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rock — music
  10. bank — for money
  11. cell — in biology
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bore — to drill
  14. capital — money
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. capital — a city
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. rock — a stone

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