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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: stem · fine · wound · chip · chest · ground · fork · ball

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. ground — the earth
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ground — a position
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. ball — a dance
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stem — to come from
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. chip — for betting
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. chest — a box
  24. chip — to eat

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