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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: wound · rash · stem · mate · chip · cold · mug · pass

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. mate — to breed
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pass — a permit
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mug — a face
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stem — to come from
  24. cold — an illness

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