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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. ground — a position
  4. pit — a hole
  5. rock — music
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. can — a tin
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rock — a stone
  15. press — to push
  16. can — a tin
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bore — to drill
  21. can — to be able to
  22. press — a publisher
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to bend

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