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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 120 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: clip · bass · press · bear · sharp · tube · wind · game

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. press — newspapers
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. tube — a container
  6. bear — the animal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. press — to push
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tube — the underground
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bass — the fish
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bear — the animal
  22. game — a match
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wind — to turn a key

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