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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. clip — for paper
  3. spring — the season
  4. object — an aim
  5. press — to push
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. spring — of water
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. clip — to cut
  12. charge — in control
  13. board — to get on
  14. charge — electricity
  15. press — a publisher
  16. club — for dancing
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. club — a group
  19. spring — a coil
  20. object — a thing
  21. club — for golf
  22. clip — a video
  23. press — newspapers
  24. charge — a price

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