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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: patient · toast · last · swing · field · plane · shower · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. toast — bread
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chip — for betting
  9. last — finally
  10. field — a subject
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. shower — rain
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. field — farmland
  15. swing — in golf
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. plane — a tool
  18. shower — to wash
  19. last — final
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. last — to go on
  22. field — for sport
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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