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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: patient · lean · file · branch · lash · date · club · field

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. branch — a division
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. club — for golf
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. file — a document
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. field — for sport
  12. file — a line of people
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. field — farmland
  15. lean — to bend
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. club — for dancing
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. date — the fruit
  21. lean — thin
  22. field — a subject
  23. club — a group
  24. file — a tool

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