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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. chest — a box
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. chest — of your body
  13. key — for a lock
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bore — to tire
  20. key — in music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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