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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. suit — to fit
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. press — newspapers
  6. object — to protest
  7. press — to push
  8. field — for sport
  9. object — a thing
  10. field — farmland
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. tube — the underground
  16. suit — in cards
  17. stand — to bear
  18. object — an aim
  19. tube — a container
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. field — a subject
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. stand — for spectators

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