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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: foot · chip · race · stem · scale · leaves · cell · hand

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. race — humankind
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. scale — in music
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. stem — to come from
  13. chip — to eat
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. foot — a measure
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — the arms race
  20. hand — help
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cell — in a prison

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