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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pass — a permit
  5. present — there
  6. lean — thin
  7. cell — in biology
  8. present — a gift
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. press — to push
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. present — the time now
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. press — newspapers
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rash — a series
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cell — a phone

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