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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. current — electric
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. current — of water
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bore — to drill
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bore — to tire
  20. current — happening now
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wind — moving air
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. ground — the earth

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