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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: patient · shower · chip · dip · mouse · cell · spell · trunk

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chip — to eat
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. spell — letters
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. shower — rain
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cell — a phone
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. spell — magic
  23. cell — in biology
  24. chip — for betting

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