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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: patient · content · rush · cell · spring · ground · can · cabinet

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. ground — a position
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. can — a tin
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cell — in biology
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. content — happy
  11. can — to be able to
  12. content — the amount
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ground — the earth
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. can — a tin
  19. ground — crushed
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rush — a thrill

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