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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
468
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: trunk · plane · stick · rule · wake · net · press · clip

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. plane — a tool
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rule — a law
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — government
  12. press — newspapers
  13. net — after costs
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. press — a publisher
  16. clip — a video
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

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