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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 120 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. ground — the earth
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ground — a position
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. ground — crushed
  13. band — a ring
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. band — a music group
  18. mine — belonging to me

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