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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. clip — for paper
  8. file — a tool
  9. bass — the fish
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. clip — a video
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. press — a publisher
  15. band — a music group
  16. press — newspapers
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bass — low music
  19. band — a ring
  20. press — to push
  21. season — in sport
  22. chip — for betting
  23. clip — to cut
  24. trunk — of a tree

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