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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: patient · chair · spell · bass · can · drill · cabinet · fine

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. fine — all right
  3. bass — low music
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. can — a tin
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fine — high quality
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spell — letters
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. can — a tin
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spell — magic
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bass — the fish
  21. chair — a leader
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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