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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: branch · content · chip · land · object · can · lean · patient

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. chip — to eat
  4. object — an aim
  5. can — a tin
  6. content — happy
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. land — to come down
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. content — the amount
  15. land — a country
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. can — a tin
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — to protest
  20. lean — to bend
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lean — thin
  24. can — to be able to

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