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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: chip · bat · stand · wave · march · mine · cap · patient

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cap — of ice
  3. chip — to eat
  4. march — music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bat — the animal
  18. cap — a hat
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. march — the month
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. patient — a sick person

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