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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. press — a publisher
  3. clip — to cut
  4. chest — a box
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. roll — a list
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fork — in a road
  9. press — newspapers
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. press — to push
  18. chest — of your body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. clip — a video
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chest — of your body
  24. roll — a cake

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