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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wound — an injury
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. press — a publisher
  5. foot — a measure
  6. press — to push
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — child
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stem — to come from
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. kid — to tease

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