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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. net — after costs
  4. clip — a video
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mark — a trace
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bank — for money
  9. press — a publisher
  10. net — for catching
  11. press — to push
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mark — a grade
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. press — newspapers
  17. net — in sport
  18. mark — to pay attention

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