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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: stem · bowl · chest · band · race · club · chip · date

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. chest — a box
  7. race — the arms race
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chip — for betting
  12. stem — to come from
  13. band — a music group
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. club — a group
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chest — of your body
  22. club — for dancing
  23. race — a contest
  24. club — for golf

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