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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: bark · bat · root · patient · pitcher · pop · calf · branch

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pop — music
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. branch — a division
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. root — of a word
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. root — the cause
  15. bark — to shout
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. root — of a plant
  24. calf — a young animal

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