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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: bat · ball · patient · fork · wave · squash · root · branch

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. ball — a dance
  8. fork — in a road
  9. root — of a plant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. branch — a division
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. root — the cause
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. root — of a word
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. squash — the sport

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