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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
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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: prune · stick · chip · game · kid · roll · mine · leaves

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. game — wild animals
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. kid — to tease
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chip — for betting
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. prune — to trim
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. game — a match
  20. mine — for digging
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kid — child
  23. roll — a list
  24. game — a kind of play

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