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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.

Make a worksheet

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: temple · content · patient · chair · spring · fan · cabinet · calf

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. content — the amount
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chair — a leader
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. spring — of water
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spring — the season
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. content — happy
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. spring — a coil
  24. temple — side of the head

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