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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: march · band · staff · wake · patient · pitcher · can · branch

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. band — a ring
  6. can — a tin
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. march — the month
  11. branch — a division
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. staff — employees
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. staff — employees
  16. march — the month
  17. band — a music group
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. march — music
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. branch — of a bank

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