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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 · chip · net · club · dip · plane · cap · stick

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. chip — to eat
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. chip — for betting
  5. plane — a tool
  6. cap — a hat
  7. club — a group
  8. net — for catching
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. net — in sport
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cap — of ice

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