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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 120 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: bowl · chip · board · cell · prune · craft

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. board — a committee
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chip — to eat
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. board — to get on
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. prune — to trim
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. prune — to trim
  18. craft — a handicraft

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