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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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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: rest · bowl · patient · kick · chair · bear · season · saw

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chair — a leader
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rest — a break
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. kick — in football
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chair — a professorship

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