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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: branch · mug · patient · row · toast · ball · snap · wound

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mug — to rob
  3. row — a line
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mug — a cup
  12. toast — bread
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ball — a dance
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. branch — a division
  17. mug — a face
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. wound — an injury
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. patient — a sick person

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