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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 116 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: hand · pop · content · patient · club · rest · branch · ruler

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. content — happy
  5. club — for dancing
  6. content — the amount
  7. hand — in cards
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pop — to visit
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — a break
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. club — for golf
  15. pop — soda
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. branch — a division
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. rest — what's left
  22. club — a group
  23. pop — music
  24. ruler — for measuring

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