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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: cell · nail · plane · patient · last · root · net · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. root — of a word
  6. chair — a leader
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — after costs
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. net — in sport
  13. last — final
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. last — to go on
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. root — the cause
  21. last — finally
  22. net — for catching
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. root — of a plant

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