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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: club · chip · cap · temple · cell · dip · stem · mine

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cap — a lid
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cap — of ice
  12. chip — for betting
  13. stem — to come from
  14. club — for golf
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cap — a hat
  23. club — a group
  24. mine — for digging

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