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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: net · root · face · press · current · cabinet · clip · jam

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. net — after costs
  6. root — the cause
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. current — electric
  9. root — of a plant
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. current — of water
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. net — for catching
  14. press — to push
  15. current — happening now
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. net — in sport
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. face — part of the head
  21. root — of a word
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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