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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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468
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: spring · chip · spell · prune · charge · tube · foot · mine

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spring — of water
  5. spell — a short time
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — in control
  11. tube — a container
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. spell — letters
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spell — magic
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — for betting
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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