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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. clip — to cut
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. press — a publisher
  6. plane — a tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. press — newspapers
  9. kid — child
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. clip — a video
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. kid — to tease
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. press — to push
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stem — to come from
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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