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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. face — to confront
  5. press — newspapers
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fork — in a road
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. face — to point toward
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. press — to push
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tube — a container

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