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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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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 · drill · object · snap · suit · wound · arm · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. object — a thing
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. drill — army training
  9. object — an aim
  10. drill — the tool
  11. suit — clothes
  12. snap — to click
  13. clip — a video
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. suit — in cards
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. drill — a practice
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. press — to push
  22. suit — to fit
  23. clip — to cut
  24. object — to protest

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