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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 120 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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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: temple · rock · cabinet · patient · straw · chair · race · wave

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rock — music
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. race — the arms race
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rock — a stone
  10. race — humankind
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. race — a contest
  24. chair — a leader

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