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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: date · bank · cabinet · file · branch · patient · staff · clip

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bank — for money
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. clip — a video
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bank — of a river
  10. staff — employees
  11. file — a tool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. staff — a stick
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. date — the fruit
  18. clip — to cut
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bank — for money
  21. branch — a division
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. clip — for paper

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