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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: root · cell · mate · hide · tear · wake · chip · patient

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. root — of a plant
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wake — a trail
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mate — a partner
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. tear — to rip
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cell — in biology
  20. root — of a word
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. tear — from crying
  23. root — the cause
  24. hide — to keep secret

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