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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 water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bank — of a river
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. track — to keep track
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. track — a path
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bank — for money
  12. stock — goods
  13. track — a song
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chip — to eat
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bank — for money
  22. stock — shares
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. chip — for betting

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