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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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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: chip · rest · fall · patient · file · branch · trunk · band

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. file — a document
  3. rest — a break
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. file — a tool
  7. chip — for betting
  8. band — a ring
  9. fall — to drop
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fall — the season
  14. branch — a division
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. fall — to drop
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. file — a line of people
  20. band — a music group
  21. chip — to eat
  22. rest — what's left
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. trunk — of a tree

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