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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: ruler · jam · file · chip · wind · cabinet · mine · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. file — a document
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. file — a tool
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. file — a line of people
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. stem — to come from
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mine — for digging
  24. chip — for betting

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