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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: current · game · chip · rush · patient · wound · mine · stem

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mine — for digging
  9. current — happening now
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. current — of water
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. current — electric
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rush — hurry
  24. chip — to eat

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