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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: racket · row · straw · leaves · press · current · clip · snap

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. current — of water
  3. press — a publisher
  4. clip — for paper
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. clip — to cut
  7. press — to push
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. row — a line
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. current — happening now
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. clip — a video
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. row — to paddle
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. press — newspapers
  22. current — electric
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. racket — for tennis

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