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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
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: patient · snap · branch · ball · bat · wave · mark · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bat — the animal
  6. snap — to click
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. ball — a dance
  13. branch — a division
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. mark — a grade

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