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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · stem · straw · court · press · mine · lash · hand

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — of law
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. press — to push
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stem — to come from
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. hand — help
  17. press — a publisher
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. court — for sport
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. clip — for paper

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