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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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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: land · clip · branch · bank · patient · craft · spring · firm

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. firm — decided
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. land — ground
  6. firm — a company
  7. craft — a skill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. firm — steady
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. clip — for paper
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bank — of a river
  20. spring — a coil
  21. craft — boats
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. spring — the season

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