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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. swing — music
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. band — a ring
  9. chip — for betting
  10. fork — in a road
  11. band — a music group
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. perch — the fish
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stem — to come from
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rash — a series
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. leaves — to go away

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