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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rock — a stone
  3. press — a publisher
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. tear — to rip
  7. clip — a video
  8. press — to push
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. tear — from crying
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. date — the fruit
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. tear — from crying
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rock — music

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