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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. season — of the year
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tube — the underground
  7. season — in sport
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. firm — a company
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. press — newspapers
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. press — to push
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. firm — decided
  19. press — a publisher
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. tube — a container
  23. firm — steady
  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