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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: wake · patient · mug · saw · bulb · hand · face · chip

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. hand — help
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mug — a cup
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chip — to eat
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mug — a face
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mug — to rob
  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