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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 116 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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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: bear · cabinet · land · cell · patient · stick · present · bat

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. present — the time now
  6. land — a country
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. land — to come down
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. present — there
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. land — ground
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. patient — a sick person

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