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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 120 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: can · plane · scale · chip · trunk · net · patient · cold

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. scale — in music
  3. chip — for betting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. plane — a tool
  7. net — in sport
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. net — after costs
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. scale — size or range
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cold — not warm
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. net — for catching
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. can — a tin
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. scale — for weighing

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