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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — to go on
  4. chip — to eat
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. last — finally
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cold — not warm
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cold — an illness
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bank — for money
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bank — for money
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. last — final
  22. chip — for betting
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. deal — a big deal

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