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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. pound — a weight
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. last — finally
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — help
  12. roll — a cake
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bulb — for light
  21. press — to push
  22. hand — in cards
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. press — newspapers

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