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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cue · plane · clip · bulb · pound · press · track · stand

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. press — to push
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. track — a path
  7. clip — a video
  8. cue — a signal
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pound — a weight
  13. cue — a hint
  14. press — a publisher
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bulb — for light
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cue — for pool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pound — for dogs

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