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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · kick · clip · present · bat · stem · press · can

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. object — an aim
  6. present — a gift
  7. kick — in football
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. clip — a video
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. present — there
  12. stem — to come from
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. can — to be able to
  21. object — a thing
  22. clip — to cut
  23. present — the time now
  24. object — to protest

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