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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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468
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: club · chip · drill · march · cabinet · stem · face · patient

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. face — to point toward
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chip — to eat
  7. face — to confront
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. march — the month
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. march — music
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. march — the month
  24. stem — to come from

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