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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 116 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: bank · chip · stem · bark · kick · court · wind · cell

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cell — in biology
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bank — for money
  9. cell — a phone
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. chip — to eat
  15. court — for sport
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. kick — in football
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bark — to shout
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. court — of law
  24. wind — to turn a key

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