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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 120 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 · content · tear · press · rule · clip · rest · chip

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. press — a publisher
  3. clip — a video
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. tear — from crying
  6. clip — for paper
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. content — the amount
  10. press — to push
  11. chip — to eat
  12. rule — government
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rule — a law
  16. tear — to rip
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rest — what's left
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. content — happy
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chip — for betting

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