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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 120 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: chip · fall · staff · tear · mark · spring · pitcher · patient

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mark — a grade
  7. chip — for betting
  8. staff — employees
  9. spring — of water
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. staff — employees
  12. fall — the season
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spring — the season
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. staff — a stick

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