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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: land · wound · key · patient · chip · drill · mine · deal

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wound — an injury
  3. drill — army training
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. drill — a practice
  6. key — in music
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. land — a country
  11. chip — for betting
  12. mine — for digging
  13. deal — to handle
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wound — an injury
  16. land — to come down
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. drill — the tool
  20. key — for a lock
  21. land — ground
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. chip — in a computer

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