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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: scale · mine · prune · swing · chip · lie · cap · current

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. cap — a lid
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. scale — in music
  9. current — happening now
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. swing — in golf
  13. mine — for digging
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. swing — music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. prune — to trim
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. prune — to trim
  22. current — electric
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. current — of water

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