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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: scale · press · fork · stand · pound · kid · clip · can

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. can — a tin
  3. clip — for paper
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stand — to bear
  10. fork — in a road
  11. press — to push
  12. clip — a video
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. kid — child
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pound — a weight
  18. clip — to cut
  19. scale — size or range
  20. can — a tin
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. scale — in music
  23. kid — to tease
  24. can — to be able to

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