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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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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: cell · chip · lash · prune · wave · rule

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rule — government
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rule — a law
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cell — in biology

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