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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: lean · fork · branch · content · staff · cabinet · patient · straw

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. staff — a stick
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. branch — a division
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. content — happy
  12. staff — employees
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. staff — employees
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. content — the amount
  19. fork — in a road
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. lean — to bend
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. branch — of a bank

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