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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: stem · bore · pitcher · object · chip · prune · kid · board

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. object — an aim
  4. chip — for betting
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. board — to get on
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. object — to protest
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. board — a committee
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. kid — child
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. object — a thing
  20. stem — to come from
  21. prune — to trim
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. chip — to eat

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