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

Word bank: perch · cap · chip · patient · stem · tear

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cap — of ice
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cap — a lid
  7. tear — to rip
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. tear — from crying
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cap — a hat
  16. chip — to eat
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. perch — the fish

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