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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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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: spring · jam · pound · clip · ruler · rule · press · hide

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rule — a law
  5. spring — of water
  6. press — to push
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. press — newspapers
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. clip — a video
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pound — a weight
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spring — the season
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. press — a publisher
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rule — government

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