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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. craft — a skill
  6. swing — to play on
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. tear — from crying
  11. craft — boats
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stem — to come from
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. date — the fruit

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