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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.

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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: cold · wave · stand · content · branch · patient · bank · bear

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. content — happy
  4. bear — the animal
  5. branch — a division
  6. bank — for money
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cold — not warm
  9. content — the amount
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — an illness
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bank — of a river
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bank — for money
  17. stand — to bear
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bear — the animal
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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