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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lean — thin
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pop — soda
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. chest — a box
  7. pop — music
  8. can — a tin
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lean — to bend
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. can — to be able to
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pop — to visit
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chest — of your body
  21. can — a tin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bulb — of a plant

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