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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: chip · spell · patient · staff · saw · toast · cabinet · rash

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rash — hasty
  5. spell — letters
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. saw — the tool
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. toast — bread
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. staff — employees
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. staff — a stick
  21. saw — the tool
  22. staff — employees
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cabinet — ministers

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