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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. last — final
  4. bear — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. swing — in golf
  7. file — a line of people
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. press — to push
  13. last — finally
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. file — a tool
  16. swing — music
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. file — a document
  19. last — to go on
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bear — the animal
  23. land — to come down
  24. patient — a sick person

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