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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: wax · stick · spring · cell · foot · object · chip · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cell — a phone
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. object — a thing
  12. spring — the season
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. object — to protest
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. object — an aim
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cell — in biology
  19. chip — to eat
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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