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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: chip · land · patient · hand · root · lean · swing · cap

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chip — for betting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lean — thin
  6. root — the cause
  7. chip — to eat
  8. land — a country
  9. hand — help
  10. swing — to play on
  11. hand — in cards
  12. swing — music
  13. root — of a plant
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lean — to bend
  18. swing — in golf
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. root — of a word
  21. cap — of ice
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cap — a hat
  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