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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: face · leaves · chair · fine · press · dip · clip · bound

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bound — tied together
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bound — certain
  5. face — to confront
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. clip — a video
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fine — high quality
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. chair — a leader
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fine — all right
  15. press — newspapers
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bound — obliged
  18. clip — to cut
  19. face — part of the head
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. dip — to sink
  24. chair — a professorship

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