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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. press — to push
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pass — a permit
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. court — of a king
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bank — for money
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. court — for sport
  16. bank — for money
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. court — of law
  23. bat — the animal
  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