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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: leaves · bowl · swing · stem · track · pop · chip · scale

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. swing — in golf
  6. track — a song
  7. pop — to visit
  8. scale — size or range
  9. track — a path
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. track — to keep track
  13. chip — for betting
  14. pop — music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. scale — in music
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pop — soda
  20. swing — music
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. leaves — to go away

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