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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: cell · deal · patient · spring · chair · bear · race · bank

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bear — the animal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bank — for money
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. race — a contest
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spring — of water
  11. cell — a phone
  12. spring — the season
  13. race — the arms race
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bank — for money
  17. cell — in biology
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. race — humankind

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