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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: press · clip · rush · fan · wave · pound · stem · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. clip — for paper
  3. press — to push
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rush — hurry
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. clip — a video
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. dip — to sink
  24. fan — to cool the air

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