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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: mug · object · cabinet · bat · fan · mine · patient · ground

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. mug — a cup
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — an aim
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mug — a face
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fan — a supporter

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