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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. clip — to cut
  3. dip — to sink
  4. press — to push
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. clip — a video
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bank — for money
  18. tube — a container
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ball — a dance
  23. press — newspapers
  24. ball — a great time

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