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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 116 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. can — a tin
  4. suit — in cards
  5. tube — a container
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cold — an illness
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bear — the animal
  17. tube — the underground
  18. clip — for paper
  19. suit — clothes
  20. current — happening now
  21. press — newspapers
  22. clip — a video
  23. press — to push
  24. bear — the animal

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