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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: prune · saw · stick · bore · snap · leaves · chip · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. march — the month
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bore — to tire
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. prune — to trim
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. saw — the tool
  13. march — the month
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to click
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bore — to drill
  21. chip — for betting
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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