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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. clip — to cut
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. object — an aim
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bear — the animal
  11. clip — a video
  12. object — a thing
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. object — to protest
  19. shower — rain
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bear — the animal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. clip — for paper

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