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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · wave · can · fall · chair · chest · pitcher · patient

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. fall — the season
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chest — of your body
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chest — a box
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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