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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 120 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: clip · saw · fine · track · bay · rest · press · spring

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. press — to push
  3. rest — what's left
  4. track — a song
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rest — what's left
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. press — a publisher
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fine — all right
  15. clip — a video
  16. rest — a break
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. press — newspapers
  20. clip — for paper
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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