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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — to bend
  5. tear — from crying
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. press — newspapers
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. press — a publisher
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. hand — in cards
  14. press — to push
  15. hand — help
  16. prune — to trim
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. tear — to rip
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chip — to eat
  24. temple — a place of worship

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