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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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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: toast · ground · club · patient · capital · fine · wax · chip

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. ground — a position
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chip — for betting
  5. toast — bread
  6. club — for golf
  7. fine — high quality
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. capital — money
  19. chip — to eat
  20. fine — all right
  21. capital — a city
  22. ground — crushed
  23. club — for dancing
  24. ground — the earth

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