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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 · suit · patient · land · stem · ground · kid · board

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. chip — to eat
  4. suit — clothes
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. land — to come down
  8. suit — in cards
  9. ground — the earth
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. land — a country
  13. chip — for betting
  14. land — ground
  15. board — to get on
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. kid — to tease
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. kid — child
  20. board — a committee
  21. suit — to fit
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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