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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: fork · clip · snap · leaves · press · kid · wax · mug

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fork — in a road
  3. mug — a cup
  4. kid — to tease
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. press — a publisher
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. clip — a video
  10. mug — a face
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. snap — to click
  13. clip — to cut
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mug — to rob
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. press — to push
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. clip — for paper
  22. kid — child
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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