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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: land · branch · straw · cabinet · patient · cue · mine · fall

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. land — ground
  6. cue — a hint
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. branch — a division
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cue — for pool
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mine — for digging
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. land — a country
  20. cue — a signal
  21. land — to come down
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fall — the season
  24. cabinet — ministers

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