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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 120 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: present · chip · rock · shower · capital · prune · mug · staff

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mug — to rob
  5. shower — to wash
  6. staff — employees
  7. present — the time now
  8. staff — employees
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chip — for betting
  11. capital — money
  12. present — a gift
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mug — a cup
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. shower — rain
  17. prune — to trim
  18. staff — a stick
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. capital — a city
  21. present — there
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mug — a face

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