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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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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: bear · stem · chip · rock · cold · deal · roll · wind

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rock — a stone
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. roll — a list
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rock — music
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stem — to come from
  18. deal — to handle
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chip — to eat
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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