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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: press · clip · mark · row · rock · tube · mate · land

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. clip — for paper
  3. press — newspapers
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. press — a publisher
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. tube — a container
  12. press — to push
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. mark — a grade
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — music
  21. land — a country
  22. clip — a video
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mark — a trace

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