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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rush — hurry
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chip — to eat
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pop — soda
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. dip — to sink
  14. chip — for betting
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pop — music
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. net — after costs

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