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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cell — in biology
  3. chest — a box
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fine — high quality
  6. press — newspapers
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. spell — letters
  10. fine — all right
  11. chest — of your body
  12. club — for golf
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fork — in a road
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. press — to push
  22. club — a group
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. club — for dancing

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