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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 · jam · roll · lean · hand · race · stick · cabinet

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hand — help
  3. race — the arms race
  4. hand — in cards
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. race — humankind
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. lean — thin
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. roll — a list
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. race — a contest
  21. roll — a cake
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. lean — to bend

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