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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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Word bank
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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. press — to push
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pop — to visit
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pop — music
  9. row — a line
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. press — a publisher
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. row — to paddle
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rock — music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rock — a stone
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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