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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. current — of water
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. pitch — completely
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stem — to come from
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. prune — to trim
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. current — electric
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. current — happening now
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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