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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. staff — employees
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. staff — employees
  6. press — to push
  7. club — for dancing
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. press — a publisher
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wake — a trail
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. staff — a stick
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. club — a group
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. club — for golf
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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