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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. press — to push
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. kid — child
  8. press — newspapers
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bank — of a river
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kid — to tease
  13. root — the cause
  14. press — a publisher
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rash — a series
  17. bank — for money
  18. root — of a word
  19. bank — for money
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. chest — a box
  23. root — of a plant
  24. chest — of your body

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