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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: bowl · patient · branch · land · key · straw · club · stem

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. club — a group
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. key — the most important part
  5. land — to come down
  6. club — for golf
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. club — for dancing
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. land — a country
  20. stem — to come from
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. branch — a division
  23. land — ground
  24. key — in music

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