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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: bass · branch · cabinet · present · toast · can · wound · patient

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. branch — a division
  3. wound — an injury
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bass — low music
  6. present — a gift
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. can — a tin
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. present — there
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. present — the time now
  16. can — a tin
  17. bass — the fish
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. toast — bread
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — an injury
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. branch — of a bank

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