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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: straw · mug · fan · wind · clip · fall · saw · press

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mug — to rob
  4. press — to push
  5. fall — to drop
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mug — a face
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mug — a cup
  11. fall — to drop
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. press — newspapers
  16. clip — for paper
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fall — the season
  19. press — a publisher
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wind — moving air

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