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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.

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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: press · prune · arm · band · plane · clip · pound · dip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. press — a publisher
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pound — a weight
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. press — to push
  13. prune — to trim
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. prune — to trim

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