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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: ball · cabinet · nail · wind · present · chest · bear · patient

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bear — the animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chest — a box
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. present — a gift
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wind — moving air
  16. present — there
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. chest — of your body

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