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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: lash · wind · clip · field · press · sharp · band · chip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. field — farmland
  9. chip — to eat
  10. field — a subject
  11. press — newspapers
  12. clip — for paper
  13. band — a music group
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. chip — for betting
  16. field — for sport
  17. band — a ring
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. clip — to cut
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wind — moving air

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