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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: cabinet · season · file · bound · wave · clip · race · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. file — a document
  3. season — of the year
  4. clip — a video
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. file — a line of people
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bound — tied together
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. race — a contest
  13. file — a tool
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bound — obliged
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bound — certain
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. press — newspapers
  22. season — in sport
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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