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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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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 · rush · object · last · stem · prune · key · land

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. last — finally
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — in music
  6. object — a thing
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. last — to go on
  9. object — an aim
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. object — to protest
  17. rush — hurry
  18. land — ground
  19. stem — to come from
  20. land — a country
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. key — for a lock
  23. prune — to trim
  24. land — to come down

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