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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: chip · fine · patient · club · object · toast · tear · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. tear — to rip
  3. club — for golf
  4. fine — high quality
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. club — a group
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. fine — all right
  12. object — an aim
  13. toast — bread
  14. club — for dancing
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spring — a coil
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chip — for betting
  20. spring — of water
  21. object — a thing
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. object — to protest

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