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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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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: wave · stick · board · chair · hide · row · press · clip

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chair — a leader
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. press — newspapers
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. clip — for paper
  9. row — a line
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. board — a committee
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. press — to push
  16. clip — a video
  17. board — to get on
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. press — a publisher
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wave — with your hand

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