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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: rest · chest · craft · patient · can · bear · clip · stand

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. can — a tin
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rest — what's left
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. can — to be able to
  11. craft — boats
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. clip — to cut
  15. craft — a skill
  16. chest — a box
  17. stand — to bear
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rest — a break
  20. can — a tin
  21. chest — of your body
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bear — the animal
  24. clip — a video

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