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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: tube · dip · clip · press · rule · bass · patient · pop

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. rule — a law
  4. press — to push
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bass — low music
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. clip — for paper
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bass — the fish
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rule — government
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pop — soda
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pop — music
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bass — the instrument

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