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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: cabinet · net · bound · temple · chair · band · patient · fan

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. net — after costs
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. chair — a leader
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. net — in sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. band — a ring
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. net — for catching

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