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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: content · hand · chip · can · wound · prune · stock · staff

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chip — to eat
  4. wound — an injury
  5. staff — a stick
  6. hand — help
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. can — to be able to
  11. content — the amount
  12. staff — employees
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. hand — in cards
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stock — shares
  17. staff — employees
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stock — goods
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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