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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: wound · sharp · press · clip · bark · pitch · bank · current

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. current — happening now
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bank — for money
  7. sharp — clever
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. press — to push
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bank — of a river
  16. clip — a video
  17. bark — to shout
  18. current — of water
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bank — for money
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. current — electric
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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