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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: root · sharp · cabinet · rush · hand · spring · land · patient

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. land — to come down
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. hand — in cards
  8. land — a country
  9. hand — help
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. spring — the season
  15. land — ground
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. root — the cause
  18. spring — of water
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. sharp — clever
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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