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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. clip — to cut
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bank — for money
  5. clip — a video
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. clip — for paper
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. last — finally
  11. bank — of a river
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. content — happy
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — final
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. content — the amount
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bank — for money
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. snap — to click
  24. stand — on your feet

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