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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: bulb · snap · perch · sharp · file · clip · rest · press

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. press — to push
  8. clip — to cut
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rest — what's left
  11. perch — the fish
  12. press — a publisher
  13. clip — for paper
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rest — what's left
  16. file — a line of people
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bulb — for light
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a tool
  21. rest — a break
  22. snap — to click
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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