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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · chest · chip · stem · wax · drill · rash · ground

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rash — a series
  4. chip — for betting
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chest — of your body
  8. date — the fruit
  9. ground — a position
  10. wax — to grow
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. chest — a box
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rash — hasty
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. ground — crushed

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