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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: press · rule · season · lash · fall · cap · clip · can

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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 — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. fall — to drop
  4. season — in sport
  5. rule — a law
  6. season — of the year
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fall — the season
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cap — of ice
  12. rule — government
  13. press — a publisher
  14. can — a tin
  15. cap — a lid
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cap — a hat
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. press — to push
  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