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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. suit — in cards
  3. press — a publisher
  4. clip — a video
  5. suit — clothes
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. suit — to fit
  13. object — a thing
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. object — to protest
  16. court — for sport
  17. bank — for money
  18. object — an aim
  19. press — to push
  20. craft — boats
  21. clip — for paper
  22. craft — a skill
  23. clip — to cut
  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