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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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Word bank
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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: perch · chip · chest · stick · calf · stem · pop · field

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. field — for sport
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stem — to come from
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chip — for betting
  8. field — a subject
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. perch — the fish
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pop — soda
  17. field — farmland
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chest — of your body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chest — a box

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