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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: prune · press · branch · tear · chip · cap · shower · cell

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cap — of ice
  3. chip — for betting
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cap — a lid
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cell — in biology
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cap — a hat
  14. shower — to wash
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chip — to eat
  19. shower — rain
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cell — a phone
  24. press — to push

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