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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: pit · clip · stick · lean · land · wax · press · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. press — a publisher
  4. drill — army training
  5. press — newspapers
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. land — a country
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lean — thin
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. clip — a video
  19. pit — a hole
  20. clip — for paper
  21. press — to push
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  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