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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: fall · saw · pop · cell · chip · prune · ruler · current

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fall — the season
  3. pop — music
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — a phone
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. current — electric
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cell — in biology
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pop — to visit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. current — happening now
  17. pop — soda
  18. prune — to trim
  19. current — of water
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fall — to drop
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. ruler — for measuring

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