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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 · leaves · staff · content · chip · craft · stick · tube

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. staff — employees
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. craft — boats
  7. staff — a stick
  8. content — happy
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tube — a container
  11. chip — to eat
  12. staff — employees
  13. craft — a skill
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chip — for betting
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. tube — the underground

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