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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: wound · net · leaves · game · stem · chip · staff · ground

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. ground — a position
  5. net — after costs
  6. wound — an injury
  7. net — for catching
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. chip — for betting
  11. staff — employees
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. ground — the earth
  16. net — in sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stem — to come from
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. staff — employees

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