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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. prune — to trim
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — an aim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chip — to eat
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. band — a music group
  13. saw — the tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bass — low music
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bass — the fish
  19. kid — to tease
  20. object — to protest
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kid — child

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