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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 116 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cell — a phone
  6. press — a publisher
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. tube — a container
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bound — tied together
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fork — in a road
  19. press — to push
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. press — newspapers
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cell — in biology

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