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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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Word bank
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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: clip · bore · press · arm · pop · mug · last · saw

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mug — a cup
  3. saw — the tool
  4. press — newspapers
  5. last — to go on
  6. bore — to tire
  7. press — to push
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. last — finally
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pop — music
  12. mug — a face
  13. pop — to visit
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. clip — a video
  16. press — a publisher
  17. clip — to cut
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pop — soda
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bore — to drill
  24. last — final

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