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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bank — for money
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bank — of a river
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rest — what's left
  12. march — the month
  13. bank — for money
  14. can — to be able to
  15. march — music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. clip — a video
  19. march — the month
  20. can — a tin
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. clip — to cut
  23. press — newspapers
  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