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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: wind · cold · chip · jam · patient · current · deal · mug

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. mug — a face
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. current — of water
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cold — not warm
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — to rob
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cold — an illness
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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