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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: staff · net · tube · track · press · stem · clip · current

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. press — a publisher
  3. net — in sport
  4. clip — for paper
  5. track — to keep track
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. current — electric
  11. stem — to come from
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. net — for catching
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. clip — to cut
  17. tube — a container
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. staff — employees
  23. net — after costs
  24. tube — the underground

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