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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 120 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. tube — a container
  4. press — newspapers
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bat — the animal
  7. root — the cause
  8. key — in music
  9. root — of a word
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. press — to push
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. key — for a lock
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. key — the most important part
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. root — of a plant
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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