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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 120 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: kid · mark · wind · stem · chip · field · race · firm

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. firm — steady
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. field — for sport
  6. chip — for betting
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wind — moving air
  12. race — humankind
  13. field — farmland
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. firm — a company
  20. race — a contest
  21. mark — a grade
  22. race — the arms race
  23. field — a subject
  24. firm — decided

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