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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kick · mine · patient · dip · chair · roll · wax · cabinet

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mine — for digging
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. roll — a list
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. roll — a cake
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. kick — in football
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chair — a leader
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. kick — a thrill

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