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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: bear · stand · kick · cabinet · key · squash · patient · hand

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kick — in football
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. key — the most important part
  11. squash — to crush
  12. hand — in cards
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. hand — help
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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