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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: prune · cell · band · drill · present · chip · rest · bay

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. band — a music group
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chip — to eat
  10. present — there
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. cell — in biology
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — the time now
  19. band — a ring
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rest — a break
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. prune — to trim

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