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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. can — a tin
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. can — to be able to
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mate — a partner
  12. spell — letters
  13. clip — for paper
  14. branch — a division
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. press — newspapers
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. clip — a video
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. spell — magic
  24. can — a tin

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