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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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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pass — a permit
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. spring — the season
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. spring — of water
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. spring — a coil
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. chip — to eat
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. branch — a division
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stem — to come from
  24. ground — a position

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