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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fall — the season
  3. cap — a lid
  4. press — newspapers
  5. race — a contest
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. fall — to drop
  12. press — a publisher
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. race — humankind
  16. cap — a hat
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fall — to drop
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cap — of ice
  23. press — to push
  24. lie — an untruth

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