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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: clip · calf · staff · land · saw · track · present · press

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. land — to come down
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. press — newspapers
  6. clip — to cut
  7. present — there
  8. press — a publisher
  9. track — to keep track
  10. saw — the tool
  11. clip — a video
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. clip — for paper
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. land — a country
  17. present — a gift
  18. staff — a stick
  19. land — ground
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. track — a song
  22. saw — the tool
  23. press — to push
  24. track — a path

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