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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 120 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
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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: chest · patient · staff · nail · present · cell · sharp · saw

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. present — there
  5. staff — employees
  6. present — the time now
  7. chest — of your body
  8. staff — employees
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. sharp — clever
  11. saw — the tool
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. present — a gift
  17. cell — in biology
  18. chest — of your body
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. staff — a stick
  22. chest — a box
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. nail — for a hammer

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