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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: plane · patient · rush · wound · chip · cold · snap · foot

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. foot — a measure
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rush — hurry
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. plane — a tool
  8. chip — for betting
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. snap — to click
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cold — an illness
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wound — an injury
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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