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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. press — to push
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. object — to protest
  7. press — newspapers
  8. can — a tin
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. ground — the earth
  11. tube — a container
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. clip — for paper
  14. ground — crushed
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. press — a publisher
  17. ground — a position
  18. object — an aim
  19. can — to be able to
  20. clip — a video
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. object — a thing
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bat — 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