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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 120 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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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: kick · pop · pound · snap · stand · patient · hand · chip

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pop — to visit
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pop — soda
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. snap — to click
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. kick — in football
  18. hand — help
  19. pop — music
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stand — to bear

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