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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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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: ground · stem · tear · pit · tube · chip · wound · pitcher

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. ground — a position
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. chip — to eat
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. ground — crushed
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chip — for betting

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