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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. press — a publisher
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. press — to push
  8. fall — to drop
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. season — in sport
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wound — an injury
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. press — newspapers
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wound — an injury
  23. season — of the year
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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