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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bound — certain
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. press — a publisher
  8. spring — the season
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. craft — a skill
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. craft — boats
  19. pit — in a race
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bound — tied together
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. pit — a hole

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