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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 · hide · wound · prune · stem · chip · track · rush

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. chip — for betting
  8. track — to keep track
  9. prune — to trim
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. track — a song
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. track — a path
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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