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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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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: bank · pop · hide · charge · lean · chip · net · prune

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. net — after costs
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. charge — electricity
  4. net — for catching
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pop — soda
  9. lean — thin
  10. pop — music
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. pop — to visit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. net — in sport
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. lean — to bend
  19. charge — a price
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. charge — in control
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chip — to eat
  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