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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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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. content — the amount
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — to push
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. prune — to trim
  9. content — happy
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bass — low music
  16. press — newspapers
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. land — a country
  19. press — a publisher
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. land — to come down
  22. prune — to trim
  23. land — ground
  24. bass — the instrument

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