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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.

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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: content · stem · date · mine · wake · kick · chip · lie

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. content — happy
  10. chip — for betting
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wake — a trail
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. content — the amount
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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