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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. capital — a city
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. clip — for paper
  6. prune — to trim
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. press — a publisher
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. press — to push
  21. rash — hasty
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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