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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. can — a tin
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. can — a tin
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. press — to push
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fork — in a road
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. stand — to bear
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. press — a publisher
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. deal — to handle
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. clip — a video

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