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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · object · spring · field · prune · cue · plane · chest

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. object — an aim
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cue — a hint
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chest — of your body
  9. object — a thing
  10. field — a subject
  11. chest — of your body
  12. field — farmland
  13. chip — for betting
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cue — a signal
  16. spring — of water
  17. cue — for pool
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chest — a box
  20. object — to protest
  21. plane — a tool
  22. spring — the season
  23. prune — to trim
  24. plane — in geometry

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