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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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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 · mouse · kick · bowl · stem · present · cell · mine

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. present — there
  7. present — the time now
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stem — to come from
  14. present — a gift
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cell — in biology
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cell — a phone
  24. kick — in football

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