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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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468
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: swing · nail · stick · patient · racket · field · branch · track

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. track — to keep track
  6. field — for sport
  7. track — a song
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. branch — a division
  12. field — farmland
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. field — a subject
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. swing — to play on
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. swing — music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. track — a path
  24. swing — in golf

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