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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. land — a country
  3. pit — in a race
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. press — a publisher
  10. land — to come down
  11. chair — a leader
  12. press — newspapers
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. kick — in football
  15. wound — an injury
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. press — to push
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. land — ground
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pit — a hole
  24. branch — a division

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