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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
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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: hand · wind · press · key · scale · clip · deal · saw

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. key — in music
  3. press — to push
  4. clip — for paper
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. saw — the tool
  8. hand — in cards
  9. clip — to cut
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wind — moving air
  12. key — for a lock
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. press — a publisher
  15. scale — in music
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. clip — a video
  18. deal — to handle
  19. press — newspapers
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. key — the most important part
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. hand — help
  24. deal — a big deal

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