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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: chip · spell · wound · content · craft · racket · stem · rest

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. craft — a skill
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wound — an injury
  9. craft — boats
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. spell — magic
  12. rest — what's left
  13. content — the amount
  14. rest — a break
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. content — happy
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rest — what's left

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