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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: staff · pop · wake · net · toast · chip · content · prune

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. net — in sport
  3. staff — employees
  4. prune — to trim
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pop — music
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. net — after costs
  11. staff — employees
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pop — soda
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — bread
  18. net — for catching
  19. chip — to eat
  20. pop — to visit
  21. chip — for betting
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. content — the amount

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