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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: tube · game · racket · prune · race · lie · cap · press

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cap — a lid
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. race — a contest
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. press — a publisher
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. game — wild animals
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. press — to push
  19. race — humankind
  20. press — newspapers
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. lie — to recline
  24. racket — a loud noise

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