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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 · fine · nail · mug · chest · patient · saw · spring

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. fine — all right
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chest — of your body
  6. season — in sport
  7. chest — a box
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. fine — high quality
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. spring — of water
  21. season — of the year
  22. spring — the season
  23. chest — of your body
  24. patient — a sick person

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