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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: bowl · press · cell · hand · clip · leaves · bear · squash

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. squash — the sport
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. squash — to crush
  6. clip — a video
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. press — to push
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cell — in biology
  22. hand — help
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bowl — a dish

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