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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. court — of law
  3. press — to push
  4. wind — moving air
  5. press — newspapers
  6. court — for sport
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. clip — to cut
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. suit — clothes
  12. court — of a king
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tube — a container
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. clip — a video
  19. wind — moving air
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. suit — to fit
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. suit — in cards

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