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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. charge — electricity
  3. scale — in music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rock — a stone
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. staff — a stick
  12. rock — music
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. scale — size or range
  16. press — to push
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. charge — a price
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. charge — in control
  24. patient — a sick person

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