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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. face — to confront
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wind — moving air
  8. net — in sport
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pound — a weight
  12. stem — to come from
  13. press — to push
  14. face — part of the head
  15. net — after costs
  16. face — to point toward
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. net — for catching
  19. press — newspapers
  20. spell — magic
  21. wind — moving air
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. spell — letters

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