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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: clip · arm · pound · ruler · press · mug · game · stem

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. clip — to cut
  6. press — to push
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mug — to rob
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mug — a cup
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. clip — a video
  17. pound — a weight
  18. game — a match
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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