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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 · chip · file · lash · pop · bowl · field · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. field — for sport
  3. prune — to trim
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. pop — music
  11. file — a tool
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. field — farmland
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pop — to visit
  21. chip — to eat
  22. field — a subject
  23. pop — soda
  24. chip — for betting

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