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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. press — a publisher
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pit — a hole
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pit — in a race
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. press — newspapers
  11. spell — letters
  12. object — a thing
  13. spell — a short time
  14. object — an aim
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. object — to protest
  17. press — to push
  18. shower — to wash
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. shower — rain
  21. spell — magic
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. branch — a division

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