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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: staff · bank · chip · cue · fork · kid · prune · season

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fork — in a road
  4. prune — to trim
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bank — for money
  9. season — in sport
  10. cue — a signal
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. staff — employees
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bank — of a river
  16. staff — a stick
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. kid — child
  21. staff — employees
  22. bank — for money
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. season — of the year

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