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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cold — not warm
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bear — the animal
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. press — to push
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pass — a permit
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bat — the animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pass — to succeed

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