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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 116 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: cap · can · tear · chip · stem · bat · band · spell

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chip — to eat
  7. spell — magic
  8. bat — the animal
  9. cap — a lid
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. can — a tin
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stem — to come from
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. can — a tin
  20. cap — a hat
  21. band — a music group
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chip — in a computer
  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