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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: chest · cell · spring · patient · foot · shower · bowl · cabinet

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spring — of water
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spring — the season
  8. shower — rain
  9. chest — of your body
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cell — in biology
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. foot — a measure
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bowl — a dish

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