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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: cold · nail · chip · roll · saw · swing · patient · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. roll — a list
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. swing — music
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cold — an illness
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. chip — for betting
  19. roll — a cake
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cold — not warm
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. swing — to play on

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