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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 120 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 · patient · bound · rule · nail · cap · wave · stem

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. stem — to come from
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cap — a lid
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. chip — for betting
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. rule — a law

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