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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. press — a publisher
  3. clip — to cut
  4. staff — employees
  5. saw — the tool
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. staff — employees
  11. clip — a video
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. press — newspapers
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. press — to push
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. degree — an amount
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. degree — temperature
  22. staff — a stick
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. degree — from a university

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