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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: patient · mine · spell · straw · hand · chip · tube · dip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. spell — magic
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chip — to eat
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. tube — a container
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spell — a short time
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spell — letters
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. hand — help
  21. chip — for betting
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. tube — the underground
  24. hand — part of the body

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