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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: tube · cabinet · date · stick · chip · race · prune · snap

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. tube — the underground
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. date — the fruit
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. race — the arms race
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. race — humankind
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. snap — to click
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chip — for betting
  22. race — a contest
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cabinet — ministers

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