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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: patient · spring · chair · swing · rash · pitcher · present · kick

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. chair — a leader
  5. spring — of water
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. swing — music
  11. spring — the season
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. present — there
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. present — a gift
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. swing — in golf
  22. present — the time now
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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