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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chip · land · degree · bear · mouse · trunk · prune · chair

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chair — a leader
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. land — a country
  8. degree — an amount
  9. land — ground
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bear — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bear — the animal
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. land — to come down
  24. degree — from a university

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