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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: roll · pass · can · clip · press · bore · rush · hand

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. hand — help
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. can — to be able to
  11. hand — in cards
  12. press — to push
  13. bore — to tire
  14. clip — a video
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. clip — for paper
  19. can — a tin
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bore — to drill
  22. roll — a list
  23. pass — a permit
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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