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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chip · spell · net · mate · content · prune · spring · fan

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. spring — the season
  4. net — after costs
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mate — a partner
  7. spell — letters
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. spring — of water
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. net — in sport
  17. content — happy
  18. chip — to eat
  19. net — for catching
  20. spell — a short time
  21. mate — a friend
  22. spell — magic
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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