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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: stand · mine · clip · lie · game · net · row · press

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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. row — a quarrel
  3. net — for catching
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. net — after costs
  6. game — wild animals
  7. row — a line
  8. press — to push
  9. game — a match
  10. row — to paddle
  11. net — in sport
  12. stand — to bear
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lie — to recline
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. press — a publisher
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. clip — a video
  23. stand — for spectators
  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