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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. band — a music group
  3. club — for golf
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. land — a country
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. press — newspapers
  11. land — ground
  12. club — for dancing
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. press — a publisher
  19. land — to come down
  20. club — a group
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. field — for sport
  24. band — a ring

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