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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: cabinet · chair · face · drill · chest · fork · patient · nail

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chair — a leader
  10. face — to confront
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chest — of your body
  15. drill — the tool
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. chest — a box
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. chair — a professorship

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