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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: press · row · temple · spring · clip · hand · land · stick

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. row — a line
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. press — newspapers
  10. spring — of water
  11. row — to paddle
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. clip — for paper
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. spring — the season
  20. clip — a video
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. hand — part of the body

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