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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: cabinet · lean · chest · patient · press · foot · chip · lash

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chest — a box
  8. chip — for betting
  9. lean — thin
  10. foot — a measure
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chest — of your body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. press — a publisher
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chest — of your body
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lean — to bend

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