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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. band — a music group
  5. press — newspapers
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. band — a ring
  8. press — a publisher
  9. suit — clothes
  10. ball — a great time
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. press — to push
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. suit — to fit
  16. hand — help
  17. branch — a division
  18. suit — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. ball — a dance
  21. hand — in cards
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. chip — in a computer

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