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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: can · chip · wind · content · bat · foot · saw · prune

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. prune — to trim
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. chip — for betting
  6. can — a tin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bat — the animal
  9. can — a tin
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. content — happy
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wind — moving air
  16. can — to be able to
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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