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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chip — to eat
  3. track — to keep track
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spring — the season
  7. chip — for betting
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. degree — an amount
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bound — certain
  13. track — a song
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. degree — from a university
  16. track — a path
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant

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