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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.

Words on the sheet
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: patient · squash · rock · cap · chip · tube · branch · bat

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. squash — the sport
  3. tube — a container
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bat — the animal
  7. branch — a division
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cap — a lid
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rock — music
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rock — a stone
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. tube — the underground
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. branch — of a tree

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