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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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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. roll — a cake
  4. press — to push
  5. mark — a grade
  6. tube — the underground
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mark — a trace
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. press — a publisher
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. row — to paddle
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. tube — a container
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. row — a line
  22. press — newspapers
  23. roll — a list
  24. fan — a supporter

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