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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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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 · straw · chest · patient · firm · wax · chip · rule

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. firm — a company
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rule — a law
  9. firm — steady
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chip — to eat
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. firm — decided
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chest — a box
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rule — government
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chip — in a computer

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