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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · perch · band · branch · straw · mine · lash · patient

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. band — a music group
  6. field — a subject
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mine — for digging
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. branch — a division
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — for sport
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. field — farmland
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. perch — the fish
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. band — a ring

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