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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: stick · rock · roll · racket · pitcher · cold · chip · stem

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cold — not warm
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. chip — for betting
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. roll — a cake
  18. chip — to eat
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. roll — a list
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. racket — for tennis

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