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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: dip · cap · lash · club · land · pop · patient · chip

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. chip — for betting
  4. land — to come down
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pop — music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. land — ground
  15. pop — soda
  16. cap — a hat
  17. club — for dancing
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. dip — to sink
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pop — to visit
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. land — a country
  24. cap — of ice

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