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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: date · pitcher · patient · bank · wave · bat · straw · present

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bat — the animal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. present — a gift
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. present — there
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. present — the time now
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. straw — dry grass

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