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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: tube · game · snap · present · dip · press · stand · clip

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. present — a gift
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — to sink
  6. clip — for paper
  7. game — wild animals
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. press — to push
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. present — the time now
  12. tube — the underground
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. game — a match
  17. snap — to click
  18. stand — to bear
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. present — there

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