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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 116 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 · press · board · rock · cabinet · chair · mine · spell

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. board — a committee
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. spell — letters
  9. rock — music
  10. chair — a leader
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spell — magic
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. spell — a short time
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. press — to push
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rock — a stone
  24. patient — a sick person

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