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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: hide · sharp · can · prune · band · tear · chip · bass

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — clever
  5. tear — to rip
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. tear — from crying
  8. band — a music group
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chip — to eat
  11. prune — to trim
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bass — the fish
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. band — a ring
  20. tear — from crying
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. can — a tin
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bass — low music

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