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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: bear · saw · toast · kick · land · press · clip · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kick — in football
  6. land — to come down
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. press — to push
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. land — a country
  15. toast — bread
  16. clip — a video
  17. press — a publisher
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. press — newspapers
  20. chair — a leader
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. land — ground
  23. bear — the animal
  24. clip — for paper

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