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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. fork — in a road
  3. season — of the year
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. present — the time now
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. press — to push
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. press — newspapers
  13. content — the amount
  14. band — a ring
  15. season — in sport
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. band — a music group
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. content — happy
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — there
  24. press — a publisher

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