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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bank — for money
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bank — for money
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. snap — to click
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cell — a phone
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cell — in biology
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bank — of a river
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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