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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.

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: mate · lie · squash · press · clip · chair · spring · fan

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. mate — to breed
  3. spring — the season
  4. chair — a leader
  5. press — a publisher
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spring — of water
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. squash — the sport
  15. clip — a video
  16. mate — a partner
  17. press — to push
  18. mate — a friend
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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