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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. tube — the underground
  12. hand — help
  13. chip — to eat
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wake — a trail
  18. press — to push
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chip — for betting

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