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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: rule · lash · racket · pop · tube · saw · press · clip

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. clip — to cut
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. press — a publisher
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. clip — a video
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rule — government
  12. pop — to visit
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pop — music
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. rule — a law
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. clip — for paper
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. tube — the underground
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pop — soda
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. tube — a container

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