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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mine · land · march · chip · firm · object · racket

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. firm — decided
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. march — the month
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. land — to come down
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. firm — a company
  13. chip — to eat
  14. object — an aim
  15. march — the month
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. chip — for betting
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. land — a country
  20. firm — steady
  21. land — ground
  22. mine — for digging
  23. march — music
  24. mine — belonging to me

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