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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: foot · pitcher · kid · fine · content · wound · branch · patient

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. fine — high quality
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. foot — a measure
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — child
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — happy
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. branch — a division
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. kid — to tease
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wound — an injury

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