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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 116 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: chip · cap · pass · stem · board · band · pitcher · game

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. chip — to eat
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. board — to get on
  11. band — a ring
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. chip — for betting
  20. stem — to come from
  21. board — a committee
  22. game — wild animals
  23. band — a music group
  24. game — a match

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