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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: nail · rest · press · clip · fork · fan · suit · cold

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. cold — not warm
  5. suit — clothes
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fork — in a road
  10. clip — for paper
  11. suit — in cards
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cold — an illness
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rest — what's left
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rest — a break
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. clip — a video

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