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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: chip · hide · rash · race · season · content · stem · branch

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. race — humankind
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. branch — a division
  11. rash — a series
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. season — in sport
  14. race — the arms race
  15. content — the amount
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. season — of the year
  18. race — a contest
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chip — to eat
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. content — happy
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. season — to add flavour

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