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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: branch · court · bark · patient · chest · can · hide · spell

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. can — a tin
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spell — magic
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. chest — of your body
  9. court — for sport
  10. branch — a division
  11. spell — letters
  12. court — of law
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bark — to shout
  15. court — of a king
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. spell — a short time
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. can — to be able to
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. can — a tin
  24. chest — a box

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