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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: chip · can · cold · perch · prune · pit · branch · bass

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chip — for betting
  4. can — to be able to
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cold — not warm
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. prune — to trim
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bass — the fish
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cold — an illness
  20. can — a tin
  21. bass — low music
  22. can — a tin
  23. perch — the fish
  24. branch — a division

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