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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 116 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: lean · bound · tube · clip · sharp · press · pound · hand

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. press — a publisher
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bound — obliged
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. lean — thin
  13. bound — certain
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bound — tied together
  16. tube — a container
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lean — to bend
  21. press — to push
  22. sharp — clever
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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