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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · prune · bound · arm · chip · wound · plane · fall

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fall — the season
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. prune — to trim
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bound — tied together
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. degree — temperature
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. prune — to trim
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. chip — to eat

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