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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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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: stick · cell · rock · chip · content · branch · patient · swing

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cell — a phone
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rock — music
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. rock — a stone
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. content — the amount
  18. swing — in golf
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cell — in biology
  22. branch — a division
  23. content — happy
  24. patient — a sick person

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