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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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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: prune · track · can · chip · fine · stock · bay · spell

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spell — letters
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chip — for betting
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fine — high quality
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. chip — to eat
  11. track — a song
  12. stock — goods
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. spell — magic
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fine — all right
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. can — a tin
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. stock — shares
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. can — to be able to
  23. track — a path
  24. prune — the fruit

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