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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. field — a subject
  8. season — of the year
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — to push
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. press — newspapers
  14. band — a ring
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. stock — shares
  17. season — in sport
  18. band — a music group
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. kick — in football
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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