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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: capital · pass · patient · shower · pitch · stick · branch · racket

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. capital — a city
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — rain
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. shower — to wash
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pitch — completely
  24. capital — money

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