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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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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 · bay · stick · leaves · game · prune · band · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. band — a ring
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. chip — to eat
  16. band — a music group
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. prune — to trim
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. chip — for betting
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chip — in a computer

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