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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. current — electric
  3. tube — the underground
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. press — a publisher
  6. current — of water
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. press — to push
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. current — happening now
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bound — obliged
  23. tube — a container
  24. hide — to keep secret

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