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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 120 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: chip · prune · stock · ruler · hand · snap · net · capital

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stock — goods
  4. prune — to trim
  5. net — after costs
  6. capital — a city
  7. net — in sport
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. hand — help
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. chip — to eat
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. net — for catching
  19. snap — to click
  20. chip — for betting
  21. stock — shares
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. capital — money

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