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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · pound · press · clip · pass · fork

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rock — music
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. pass — a permit
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. rock — a stone
  14. clip — a video
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. clip — to cut

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