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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 · dip · patient · prune · chest · chip · root · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. chest — of your body
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. firm — a company
  6. dip — to sink
  7. chest — a box
  8. current — happening now
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. root — of a word
  12. firm — steady
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chest — of your body
  16. root — of a plant
  17. prune — to trim
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. root — the cause
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

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