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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 116 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 · branch · deal · stand · saw · row · cap · last

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. row — a line
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. cap — a lid
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cap — of ice
  12. last — to go on
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. last — final
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stand — to bear
  19. saw — the tool
  20. branch — a division
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. last — finally
  24. cap — a hat

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