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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: stem · club · leaves · chip · patient · bowl · tear · track

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. track — a path
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. club — for golf
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — a group
  9. chip — to eat
  10. track — a song
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. tear — to rip
  17. chip — for betting
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. track — to keep track
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. stem — to come from
  24. chip — in a computer

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