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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 116 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. band — a ring
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. band — a music group
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. key — for a lock
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stem — to come from
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. key — in music

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