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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. press — to push
  3. land — a country
  4. bank — for money
  5. mug — a face
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mug — to rob
  9. lie — to recline
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. land — ground
  13. club — for golf
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. land — to come down
  17. club — a group
  18. shower — rain
  19. club — for dancing
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. mug — a cup
  24. press — a publisher

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