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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 · degree · stem · sharp · current · cap · hide · chip

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. degree — from a university
  4. current — electric
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cap — a hat
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cap — of ice
  15. current — happening now
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. degree — temperature
  19. chip — to eat
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. current — of water
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stem — a stem cell

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