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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: season · present · patient · cell · drill · chair

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. drill — a practice
  3. present — a gift
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. present — the time now
  11. drill — army training
  12. season — of the year
  13. present — there
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. drill — the tool

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