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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. chip — to eat
  4. tube — a container
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stem — to come from
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pound — a weight
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wound — an injury
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. face — to confront
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chip — in a computer

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