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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: chip · tear · stem · ground · wind · lash · march · fork

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. chip — for betting
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. chip — to eat
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fork — in a road
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. ground — a position
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stem — to come from
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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