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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 120 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: cell · patient · coach · rule · mine · cabinet · spring · kick

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — government
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. kick — in football
  20. spring — of water
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cell — a phone
  24. spring — the season

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