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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: hand · dip · rush · clip · land · pass · bulb · press

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hand — help
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. land — ground
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. press — to push
  11. land — a country
  12. clip — a video
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rush — hurry
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. land — to come down
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pass — a permit
  24. clip — to cut

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