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

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chip — for betting
  3. land — a country
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. club — for dancing
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. tube — a container
  9. date — the fruit
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. chest — of your body
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. land — to come down
  17. club — a group
  18. chest — a box
  19. tube — the underground
  20. land — ground
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chest — of your body
  24. club — for golf

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