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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: row · mouse · prune · cold · stick · bay · chip · fall

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chip — to eat
  3. fall — the season
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chip — for betting
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. row — to paddle
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cold — an illness
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cold — the Cold War

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