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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: ground · mine · chip · mouse · tube · stem · swing · pound

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. ground — the earth
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. swing — music
  9. ground — a position
  10. chip — to eat
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. swing — in golf
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pound — a weight
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — the underground

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