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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. press — newspapers
  4. wind — moving air
  5. firm — a company
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. present — there
  11. chair — a leader
  12. tear — to rip
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. firm — steady
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. firm — decided
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wind — moving air
  21. present — a gift
  22. press — to push
  23. present — the time now
  24. patient — a sick person

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