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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. branch — a division
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. press — newspapers
  10. hand — in cards
  11. press — a publisher
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. press — to push
  18. hand — help
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bass — the fish
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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