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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: chip · last · prune · jam · nail · snap · coach · mark

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. last — final
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. last — to go on
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. last — finally
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mark — a grade
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mark — a trace
  21. chip — to eat
  22. snap — to click
  23. chip — for betting
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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