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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: bay · wake · press · pop · chip · content · prune · last

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. pop — soda
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. content — the amount
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. last — final
  11. press — to push
  12. pop — to visit
  13. content — happy
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pop — music
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. last — to go on
  19. prune — to trim
  20. last — finally
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. press — newspapers

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