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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. key — in music
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. key — for a lock
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. field — farmland
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stem — to come from
  18. key — the most important part
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. stock — goods
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rash — a series
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. calf — of the leg

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