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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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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: perch · chip · cap · hide · can · tear · arm · prune

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. cap — a hat
  3. tear — from crying
  4. can — to be able to
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cap — of ice
  11. perch — the fish
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. can — a tin
  16. tear — to rip
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cap — a lid
  20. can — a tin
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. chip — to eat
  23. tear — from crying
  24. prune — to trim

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