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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. rash — hasty
  8. chip — to eat
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bank — of a river
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rash — a series
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. swing — to play on
  16. scale — size or range
  17. chip — for betting
  18. swing — music
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bank — for money
  22. kick — in football
  23. bank — for money
  24. scale — in music

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