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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: kid · tear · pound · patient · chip · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. tear — to rip
  4. kid — to tease
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pound — a weight
  12. tear — from crying
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. kid — child

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