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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 120 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: key · patient · season · bowl · branch · saw · hand · pass

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. key — in music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. hand — in cards
  10. saw — the tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. branch — a division
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. key — the most important part
  16. hand — help
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. saw — the tool

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