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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 120 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: cell · leaves · prune · content · chip · spell · chest · mug

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mug — a cup
  3. content — happy
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. content — the amount
  6. chest — of your body
  7. spell — a short time
  8. chest — a box
  9. mug — a face
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. chip — to eat
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spell — magic
  16. mug — to rob
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. cell — in biology
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chip — for betting
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cell — a phone
  24. leaves — lets stay

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