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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: cap · row · face · chip · plane · ball · patient · pound

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pound — a weight
  5. face — to confront
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. face — to point toward
  13. chip — to eat
  14. row — a line
  15. chip — for betting
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cap — of ice
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. row — to paddle
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ball — a great time

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