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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bank — for money
  3. fall — to drop
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rule — government
  7. tear — from crying
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. press — to push
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rule — a law
  18. press — newspapers
  19. fall — the season
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fall — to drop
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bank — for money

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