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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · stick · march · patient · ground · chest · chair · pop

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pop — to visit
  5. march — music
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chest — a box
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pop — music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ground — a position
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pop — soda
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chair — a professorship

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