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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.

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: kid · squash · wave · hand · clip · track · press · bulb

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. squash — to crush
  3. press — newspapers
  4. kid — to tease
  5. hand — in cards
  6. track — to keep track
  7. clip — to cut
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. track — a path
  11. clip — a video
  12. kid — child
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. track — a song
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. press — to push
  24. press — a publisher

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