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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: clip · bear · spell · drill · perch · sharp · stock · press

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. press — newspapers
  5. drill — army training
  6. clip — a video
  7. spell — letters
  8. clip — for paper
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. press — to push
  12. drill — a practice
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stock — goods
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stock — shares
  22. clip — to cut
  23. spell — magic
  24. sharp — with an edge

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