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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. tube — the underground
  6. field — for sport
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. press — newspapers
  11. tube — a container
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mug — a cup
  16. press — to push
  17. scale — size or range
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. shower — rain
  21. mug — a face
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. scale — in music
  24. mug — to rob

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