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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 · prune · bound · shower · sharp · dip · spell · wave

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. chip — for betting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bound — obliged
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bound — certain
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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