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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. toast — bread
  3. tear — from crying
  4. press — to push
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. content — the amount
  11. lean — to bend
  12. mug — to rob
  13. ball — a dance
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. lean — thin
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. content — happy
  20. mug — a cup
  21. ball — a great time
  22. mug — a face
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lean — to rest against

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