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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 120 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
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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: season · key · patient · chair · can · saw · bark · chest

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. key — in music
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. can — to be able to
  9. chest — of your body
  10. season — of the year
  11. key — the most important part
  12. saw — the tool
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. chest — of your body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. can — a tin
  17. season — in sport
  18. bark — to shout
  19. chair — a leader
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. can — a tin
  23. chest — a box
  24. key — for a lock

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