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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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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: staff · fall · rock · branch · patient · content · tube · hand

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. content — the amount
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — in cards
  5. staff — employees
  6. rock — a stone
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. content — happy
  10. staff — a stick
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rock — music
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tube — a container
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. hand — help
  23. staff — employees
  24. tube — the underground

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