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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. press — newspapers
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. tear — from crying
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. chair — a leader
  8. net — in sport
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. net — for catching
  15. press — a publisher
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. net — after costs
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. press — to push
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. prune — to trim

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