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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 116 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: drill · tube · press · stick · clip · season · sharp · bowl

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. season — of the year
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. press — newspapers
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. clip — a video
  9. tube — a container
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — to push
  12. season — in sport
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. drill — a practice
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. drill — army training
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bowl — a football final
  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