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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: chip · wind · hand · vault · wound · cell · prune · current

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cell — in biology
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wound — an injury
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — of water
  13. prune — to trim
  14. current — electric
  15. chip — for betting
  16. prune — to trim
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hand — help
  21. vault — a safe
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cell — in a prison

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