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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: press · chest · clip · pitcher · mine · current · staff · leaves

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. press — newspapers
  3. mine — for digging
  4. current — of water
  5. press — to push
  6. current — electric
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. current — happening now
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chest — a box
  24. pitcher — a jug

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