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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. clip — a video
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. sharp — clever
  8. clip — to cut
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. face — to point toward
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stand — to bear
  18. face — to confront
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bank — of a river
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rush — hurry
  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