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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: degree · squash · stick · chip · dip · stem · wound · leaves

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. degree — an amount
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. degree — from a university
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. chip — for betting
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. degree — temperature
  17. chip — to eat
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. squash — to crush
  24. leaves — lets stay

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