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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: tear · chip · lie · firm · field · press · prune · ball

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — to push
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. press — newspapers
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. firm — steady
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. field — farmland
  12. firm — decided
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. chip — to eat
  16. prune — to trim
  17. press — a publisher
  18. firm — a company
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. field — a subject
  21. lie — to recline
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. tear — to rip
  24. field — for sport

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