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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bank — for money
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cap — of ice
  9. chest — of your body
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bank — for money
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mine — for digging
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. chest — a box
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. prune — to trim
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bank — of a river

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