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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: roll · foot · patient · bat · spring · chair · present · land

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. foot — a measure
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. land — ground
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. roll — a cake
  11. present — a gift
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. spring — of water
  15. land — to come down
  16. spring — a coil
  17. land — a country
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a list
  21. present — there
  22. chair — a leader
  23. present — the time now
  24. spring — the season

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