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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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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. clip — a video
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. craft — boats
  5. press — to push
  6. suit — clothes
  7. clip — to cut
  8. suit — to fit
  9. shower — to wash
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. press — a publisher
  16. shower — rain
  17. object — to protest
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. object — a thing
  20. clip — for paper
  21. object — an aim
  22. spring — the season
  23. press — newspapers
  24. craft — a skill

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