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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 116 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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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: wave · deal · clip · rash · bowl · press · club · ruler

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. press — newspapers
  9. clip — a video
  10. rash — a series
  11. club — for golf
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. club — for dancing
  20. press — to push
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. press — a publisher
  24. club — a group

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