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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 120 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rash — hasty
  8. board — to get on
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. drill — the tool
  11. march — the month
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. board — a committee
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rash — a series
  18. march — the month
  19. drill — a practice
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. march — music
  22. press — newspapers
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. drill — army training

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