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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: spring · wave · sharp · trunk · clip · patient · press · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. clip — a video
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. clip — for paper
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. press — to push
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. spring — of water
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. press — a publisher
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. clip — to cut
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spring — the season
  24. press — newspapers

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