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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: spell · chair · mate · bay · cabinet · patient · press · drill

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. drill — a practice
  8. press — to push
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spell — letters
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. mate — a friend
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chair — a leader
  18. spell — magic
  19. drill — army training
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mate — to breed
  24. spell — a short time

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