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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
468
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: stem · spell · swing · wake · march · chip · dip · wound

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. dip — to dunk
  2. chip — for betting
  3. swing — music
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wound — an injury
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. spell — magic
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spell — a short time
  13. march — the month
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wound — an injury
  17. dip — to sink
  18. swing — in golf
  19. spell — letters
  20. chip — to eat
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. wake — a trail
  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