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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 116 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: prune · wind · dip · bore · season · cue · kid · chip

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. season — in sport
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bore — to tire
  5. season — of the year
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kid — to tease
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bore — to drill
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. kid — child
  20. chip — for betting
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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