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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. board — a committee
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. board — to get on
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. press — to push
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. press — a publisher
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mine — for digging

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