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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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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: content · wave · mouse · tear · cell · patient · shower · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cell — a phone
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. content — happy
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. chip — to eat
  11. shower — rain
  12. tear — from crying
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. content — the amount
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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