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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. pound — to hit hard
  2. clip — to cut
  3. present — the time now
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. firm — steady
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spell — letters
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. firm — a company
  16. press — newspapers
  17. spell — magic
  18. stem — to come from
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — to push
  21. pound — a weight
  22. firm — decided
  23. pound — for dogs
  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