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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. band — a ring
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. press — a publisher
  5. current — electric
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. suit — clothes
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. press — newspapers
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. band — a music group
  14. current — happening now
  15. clip — a video
  16. current — of water
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. clip — to cut
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. suit — to fit
  23. press — to push
  24. suit — in cards

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