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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: pitcher · snap · bank · kid · rash · lie · patient · branch

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. branch — a division
  8. snap — to click
  9. bank — of a river
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bank — for money
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rash — a series
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rash — hasty
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bank — for money
  24. kid — child

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