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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. can — to be able to
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. clip — a video
  5. tear — to rip
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. press — to push
  8. rest — what's left
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rest — a break
  11. clip — for paper
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rest — what's left
  14. scale — size or range
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. can — a tin
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. clip — to cut
  21. can — a tin
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. scale — in music
  24. tear — from crying

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