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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rash — a series
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. press — to push
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stem — to come from
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chest — a box
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. staff — employees
  19. rash — hasty
  20. staff — employees
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. dip — to sink
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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