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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: fan · chest · wind · prune · track · perch · bore · chip

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bore — to tire
  6. perch — the fish
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wind — moving air
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chest — of your body
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. chest — a box
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. track — a path
  23. bore — to drill
  24. fan — a supporter

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