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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: deal · trunk · prune · game · wake · ball · chip · net

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. ball — a dance
  6. deal — to handle
  7. prune — to trim
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wake — a trail
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. net — in sport
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. net — after costs
  19. chip — for betting
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. net — for catching
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. deal — an agreement

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