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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: row · wake · race · pop · jam · craft · press · clip

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pop — soda
  3. race — the arms race
  4. press — newspapers
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. press — a publisher
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pop — to visit
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. wake — a trail
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. craft — boats
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. row — to paddle
  15. clip — to cut
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. press — to push
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pop — music
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. clip — a video

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