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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bass · clip · patient · lie · mouse · chest · fine

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chest — a box
  4. branch — a division
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fine — all right
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bass — the fish
  10. chest — of your body
  11. clip — a video
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bass — low music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bass — the instrument

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