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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: cabinet · prune · rush · game · chip · key · band · clip

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. chip — to eat
  3. clip — for paper
  4. game — a match
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. clip — a video
  8. band — a music group
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. band — a ring
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. clip — to cut
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. game — wild animals

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