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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mark — a trace
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. press — to push
  14. dip — to sink
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. press — a publisher
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — for golf
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. club — a group

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