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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. branch — a division
  5. stem — to come from
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. shower — rain
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. spring — of water
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bass — the fish
  14. shower — to wash
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wound — an injury
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. spring — the season
  23. chip — to eat
  24. foot — the bottom

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