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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 116 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: bat · patient · plane · fall · hide · tear · scale · chip

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. chip — for betting
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bat — the animal
  7. scale — in music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. chip — to eat
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tear — from crying
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fall — the season
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. plane — a tool
  24. fall — to drop

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