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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: chest · sharp · patient · root · rush · tear · chip · ground

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chest — a box
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rush — hurry
  6. chip — to eat
  7. root — of a word
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. ground — a position
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. chip — for betting
  12. tear — to rip
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. ground — the earth
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. root — of a plant
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rush — to hurry

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