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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: patient · land · dip · bear · chip · last · swing · wound

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. land — a country
  3. chip — for betting
  4. last — to go on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chip — to eat
  9. land — ground
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. last — final
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wound — an injury
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. last — finally
  21. bear — the animal
  22. land — to come down
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. swing — to play on

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