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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: deal · mate · chip · degree · rock · clip · stem · plane

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. chip — to eat
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. deal — to handle
  6. stem — to come from
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mate — to breed
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. clip — a video
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. degree — temperature
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rock — a stone
  18. plane — a tool
  19. mate — a friend
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mate — a partner
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. chip — for betting
  24. deal — a big deal

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