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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: chip · staff · patient · court · firm · shower · plane · mine

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. firm — decided
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. court — of a king
  5. plane — a tool
  6. shower — to wash
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chip — for betting
  9. staff — a stick
  10. court — for sport
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — steady
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. court — of law
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. staff — employees
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. mine — for digging
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chip — to eat
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. staff — employees

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