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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: racket · jam · patient · land · ground · branch · key · present

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. key — the most important part
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. land — ground
  5. key — in music
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ground — the earth
  13. branch — a division
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. key — for a lock
  17. ground — crushed
  18. present — there
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. land — to come down
  21. ground — a position
  22. land — a country
  23. branch — of a bank
  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