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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: lean · chip · ball · prune · bank · mark · chest · file

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. lean — thin
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mark — a trace
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bank — for money
  11. lean — to bend
  12. mark — a grade
  13. file — a tool
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bank — for money
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. ball — a dance
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bank — of a river
  23. chest — a box
  24. lean — to rest against

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