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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mug — a cup
  6. current — of water
  7. mug — to rob
  8. season — of the year
  9. mark — a grade
  10. current — happening now
  11. clip — to cut
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. clip — for paper
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. press — newspapers
  21. current — electric
  22. mug — a face
  23. season — in sport
  24. clip — a video

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