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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: patient · bowl · branch · cue · trunk · foot · net · ball

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cue — a hint
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cue — a signal
  11. ball — a great time
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cue — for pool
  16. net — for catching
  17. foot — a measure
  18. ball — a dance
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. branch — a division

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