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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: tear · clip · kick · chair · wave · race · hide · press

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. press — a publisher
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tear — from crying
  11. race — humankind
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. press — to push
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. clip — a video
  22. chair — a leader
  23. race — a contest
  24. tear — to rip

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