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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. clip — for paper
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stand — to bear
  8. press — to push
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bore — to tire
  19. press — a publisher
  20. fine — all right
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bore — to drill
  23. clip — a video
  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