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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cap — a hat
  5. press — to push
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wind — moving air
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wind — moving air
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. root — the cause
  20. press — newspapers
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pitcher — a jug

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