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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · track · fine · date · bark · stem · chest · branch

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fine — all right
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bark — to shout
  14. branch — a division
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. chest — a box
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. chest — of your body
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fine — high quality

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