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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: pop · patient · spell · saw · land · lean · straw · chip

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pop — soda
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chip — to eat
  7. pop — to visit
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. land — ground
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spell — a short time
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pop — music
  15. lean — thin
  16. saw — the tool
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. spell — letters
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. chip — for betting
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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