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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. root — of a word
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. ground — a position
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pound — a weight
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. press — to push
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. ground — the earth
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. press — newspapers
  19. root — of a plant
  20. ground — crushed
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. root — the cause
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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