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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: press · pitcher · leaves · pound · stem · clip · perch · jam

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. clip — to cut
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. clip — for paper
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. press — to push
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. pound — a weight
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. clip — a video
  20. press — a publisher
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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