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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 116 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: patient · wake · fork · branch · cap · plane · chair · fine

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. chair — a leader
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. plane — a tool
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cap — a lid
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cap — of ice
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fine — all right
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cap — a hat
  24. branch — a division

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