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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · chip · stem · shower · plane · band · root · straw

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. shower — to wash
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. chip — for betting
  7. plane — a tool
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spell — a short time
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. spell — magic
  14. root — of a plant
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. root — the cause
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. spell — letters
  19. root — of a word
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. shower — rain
  22. stem — to come from
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. straw — a straw man

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