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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. press — to push
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pop — soda
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pass — a permit
  11. land — a country
  12. rock — music
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pop — music
  16. land — to come down
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. land — ground
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rock — a stone
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. press — newspapers

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