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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 116 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: stem · present · pop · shower · lean · object · chip · patient

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. lean — thin
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pop — to visit
  6. object — to protest
  7. chip — to eat
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. shower — rain
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. present — there
  15. pop — music
  16. present — the time now
  17. object — an aim
  18. pop — soda
  19. chip — for betting
  20. object — a thing
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. shower — to wash

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