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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 116 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lean — thin
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. press — to push
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — boats
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. lean — to bend
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. tube — a container

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