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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: cell · cabinet · patient · chip · tear · arm

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. tear — to rip
  4. chip — to eat
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tear — from crying
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. arm — part of the body

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