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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: hide · prune · chip · swing · current · scale · fine · stem

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. swing — to play on
  6. fine — high quality
  7. swing — in golf
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. scale — in music
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. swing — music
  14. chip — for betting
  15. fine — all right
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. scale — size or range
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chip — to eat
  24. fine — a penalty

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