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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: suit · spring · pop · chip · rest · prune · straw · mine

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rest — what's left
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pop — to visit
  11. suit — to fit
  12. pop — soda
  13. spring — a coil
  14. suit — in cards
  15. suit — clothes
  16. spring — of water
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pop — music
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rest — a break
  21. chip — for betting
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. spring — the season

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