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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: chest · press · rash · rock · spring · chip · stem · field

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. chest — a box
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. spring — the season
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. press — to push
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rock — a stone
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rock — music
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rash — a series
  16. field — a subject
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. press — a publisher
  21. spring — of water
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. stem — of a plant

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