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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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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: trunk · patient · branch · pitcher · wave · drill · bat · squash

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. drill — army training
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. drill — the tool
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. drill — a practice
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bat — the animal
  18. squash — the sport
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. branch — a division
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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