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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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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: patient · ground · chip · kid · wave · root · pound · straw

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pound — a weight
  3. ground — a position
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. root — the cause
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chip — for betting
  9. root — of a word
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — to tease
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kid — child
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. ground — the earth
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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