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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: chair · drill · roll · prune · cabinet · season · suit · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. drill — a practice
  3. suit — in cards
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. roll — a list
  10. chair — a leader
  11. suit — clothes
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. roll — a cake
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. drill — army training
  23. suit — to fit
  24. drill — the tool

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