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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: stick · patient · suit · rush · chest · land · cell · bear

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. suit — in cards
  5. land — to come down
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. chest — a box
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. suit — to fit
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bear — to put up with

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