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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · stem · wind · chair · pass · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pass — a permit
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mug — a face
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. mug — to rob
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chair — a leader

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