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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. press — to push
  3. mate — a partner
  4. clip — a video
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. press — newspapers
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mate — to breed
  17. clip — to cut
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. press — a publisher
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bound — obliged
  23. clip — for paper
  24. row — a line

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