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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: prune · hide · chip · cold · charge · bass · press · kick

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. press — a publisher
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. charge — a price
  8. cold — an illness
  9. press — to push
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bass — the fish
  14. prune — to trim
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. charge — electricity
  18. chip — for betting
  19. charge — in control
  20. bass — low music
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. hide — to keep secret

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