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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: cell · cap · chip · patient · squash · scale · chair · nail

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cap — a hat
  3. chip — to eat
  4. squash — the sport
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. squash — to crush
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chip — for betting
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. cap — a lid
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cell — in biology
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cell — a phone
  22. scale — in music
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chair — a professorship

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