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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: pound · spell · patient · drill · snap · pit · can · branch

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. can — a tin
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. drill — a practice
  6. snap — to click
  7. pit — a hole
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pound — a weight
  12. drill — army training
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. drill — the tool
  16. spell — magic
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. can — a tin
  20. branch — a division
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. can — to be able to
  24. pit — in a race

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