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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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Word bank
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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. press — newspapers
  8. spell — magic
  9. lean — to bend
  10. swing — music
  11. ball — a great time
  12. spell — letters
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ball — a dance
  16. degree — an amount
  17. spell — a short time
  18. swing — to play on
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fine — all right
  22. swing — in golf
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. press — a publisher

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