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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: stand · roll · hide · game · chip · patient · saw · spring

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. roll — a list
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. spring — of water
  7. chip — to eat
  8. saw — the tool
  9. game — wild animals
  10. roll — a cake
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chip — for betting
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. game — a match
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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