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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pop — music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stem — to come from
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pop — to visit
  13. tear — to rip
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pop — soda
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. chair — a leader
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. dip — to sink

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