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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 116 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 · stick · straw · fine · bowl · prune · last · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. march — the month
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. last — to go on
  8. prune — to trim
  9. last — finally
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. fine — all right
  14. last — final
  15. chip — for betting
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. march — music
  24. straw — dry grass

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