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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 116 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 · branch · patient · spring · game · perch · deal · tear

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spring — of water
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chip — for betting
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. perch — the fish
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. deal — to handle
  19. branch — a division
  20. game — a match
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. game — wild animals
  24. tear — to rip

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