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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: march · band · deal · prune · fork · chip · net · face

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — to confront
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. march — music
  7. net — for catching
  8. march — the month
  9. face — part of the head
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. net — in sport
  13. fork — in a road
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. face — to point toward
  18. prune — to trim
  19. deal — to handle
  20. chip — to eat
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. net — after costs
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. march — the month

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