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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: hide · cap · chip · chair · bear · land · net · patient

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. land — a country
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chip — for betting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — after costs
  9. cap — a hat
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cap — of ice
  12. land — ground
  13. bear — the animal
  14. net — in sport
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. land — to come down
  20. chair — a leader
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chip — to eat
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bear — to put up with

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