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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: rush · chip · spell · fine · mate · prune · cold · scale

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cold — not warm
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. spell — magic
  5. fine — all right
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. spell — a short time
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cold — an illness
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mate — a friend
  18. scale — in music
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. scale — size or range
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. fine — high quality
  23. spell — letters
  24. rush — hurry

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