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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. chip — for betting
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pound — a weight
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. press — newspapers
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. clip — to cut
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. chip — to eat
  22. press — to push
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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