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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: firm · racket · stem · clip · plane · cold · present · chip

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cold — an illness
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. present — the time now
  12. plane — a tool
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. present — there
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. firm — a company
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. firm — steady
  22. clip — a video
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. present — a gift

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