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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.

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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: saw · press · clip · wax · bowl · drill · mark · wound

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. clip — a video
  8. drill — the tool
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. drill — army training
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. press — to push
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. press — newspapers
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wound — an injury
  24. drill — a practice

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