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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: race · patient · plane · wake · chip · land · band · dip

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wake — a trail
  5. band — a music group
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. race — the arms race
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. race — humankind
  12. dip — to sink
  13. band — a ring
  14. chip — to eat
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. plane — a tool
  20. race — a contest
  21. land — ground
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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