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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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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: calf · wound · bowl · patient · pit · ground · stand · branch

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pit — in a race
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. branch — a division
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wound — an injury
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pit — a hole
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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