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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 · press · snap · saw · fork · bay · stock · tube

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. stock — shares
  4. press — newspapers
  5. tube — the underground
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. stock — goods
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. fork — in a road
  18. clip — a video
  19. snap — to click
  20. tube — a container
  21. saw — the tool
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. saw — the tool

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