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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 116 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: wake · press · plane · patient · pop · pit · cabinet · clip

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. wake — a trail
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. press — to push
  12. pit — in a race
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pit — a hole
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. clip — a video
  21. plane — a tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pop — music

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