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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. squash — to crush
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. current — electric
  5. squash — the sport
  6. current — happening now
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. spring — the season
  11. firm — a company
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. spring — of water
  16. season — of the year
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. current — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. firm — steady
  22. season — in sport
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. firm — decided

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