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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 116 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
468
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: stock · mine · ball · patient · content · prune · chip · cell

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mine — for digging
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chip — for betting
  5. ball — a great time
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chip — to eat
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. content — happy
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stock — shares
  19. ball — a dance
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. stock — goods
  22. content — the amount
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mine — belonging to me

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