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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: staff · roll · stem · chip · bound · straw · shower · pop

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. roll — a list
  4. staff — employees
  5. bound — tied together
  6. chip — for betting
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pop — music
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. pop — to visit
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. shower — to wash
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pop — soda
  16. bound — certain
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bound — obliged
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. shower — rain

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