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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: chip · spring · press · kid · tear · rock · degree · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. tear — from crying
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rock — music
  9. chip — for betting
  10. press — a publisher
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kid — to tease
  13. spring — of water
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. degree — an amount
  17. tear — to rip
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rock — a stone
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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