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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: stem · drill · pop · clip · lean · bay · chip · pitcher

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chip — for betting
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pop — soda
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. clip — a video
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pop — to visit
  13. drill — army training
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. clip — for paper
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. drill — the tool
  24. lean — thin

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