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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 120 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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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: racket · lash · press · snap · row · perch · tube · clip

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. clip — to cut
  3. press — to push
  4. row — a line
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. press — newspapers
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. tube — the underground
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. clip — a video
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. press — a publisher
  18. perch — the fish
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. clip — for paper
  23. row — to paddle
  24. racket — a loud noise

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