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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: pitcher · wake · rule · prune · can · chip · bat · press

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — to push
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. press — a publisher
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bat — the animal
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rule — government
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wake — a trail
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. can — a tin
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bat — in an idiom

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