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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: prune · stick · scale · roll · chip · sharp · shower · field

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. field — for sport
  4. prune — to trim
  5. roll — a list
  6. chip — for betting
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. shower — rain
  9. prune — to trim
  10. roll — a cake
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chip — to eat
  19. shower — to wash
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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