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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: root · patient · spring · lean · cue · cabinet · pitcher · hand

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. root — of a plant
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. root — of a word
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cue — a signal
  15. hand — help
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. spring — of water
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lean — thin
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. root — the cause

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