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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.

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: prune · row · hand · tube · chip · fine · game · wind

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. row — a line
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fine — all right
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. prune — to trim
  15. game — wild animals
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. chip — to eat
  18. hand — help
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. row — to paddle
  22. game — a match
  23. tube — a container
  24. wind — moving air

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