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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
468
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 · bound · cold · date · trunk · press · racket · prune

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cold — not warm
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. press — newspapers
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bound — certain
  9. date — the fruit
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chip — to eat
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. prune — to trim
  17. press — a publisher
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cold — an illness
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. press — to push
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. racket — for tennis

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