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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bank — for money
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. sharp — clever
  5. clip — a video
  6. file — a tool
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. clip — to cut
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. file — a document
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. clip — for paper
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. press — to push
  24. sharp — with an edge

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