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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. press — newspapers
  5. net — in sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cue — a hint
  10. spring — a coil
  11. press — to push
  12. saw — the tool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. press — a publisher
  17. row — a line
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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