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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: chip · clip · prune · firm · cold · lean · charge · coach

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. firm — a company
  4. cold — an illness
  5. charge — electricity
  6. clip — a video
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cold — not warm
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — steady
  13. chip — for betting
  14. clip — to cut
  15. charge — a price
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. charge — in control
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lean — to bend

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