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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: wave · straw · mine · chip · wind · charge · stem · degree

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. degree — from a university
  6. chip — for betting
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. degree — an amount
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. degree — temperature
  12. charge — in control
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. charge — electricity
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mine — for digging
  21. charge — a price
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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