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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 124 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cap — a lid
  3. press — newspapers
  4. drill — a practice
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cold — an illness
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. branch — a division
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cold — not warm
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. cap — a hat
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. drill — army training
  19. press — a publisher
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. drill — the tool
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cap — of ice

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