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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: branch · pass · mine · mate · wake · pitcher · patient · object

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. object — to protest
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mate — a partner
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mate — a friend
  16. object — an aim
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wake — a trail
  20. branch — a division
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. object — a thing
  24. pass — to succeed

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