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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.

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: spring · press · pitcher · net · clip · mine · craft · tube

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. press — to push
  3. spring — the season
  4. press — newspapers
  5. net — for catching
  6. craft — a skill
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. craft — boats
  10. spring — a coil
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. net — after costs
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. mine — for digging
  21. net — in sport
  22. spring — of water
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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