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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · fan · chair · press · band · patient

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. band — a music group
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chair — a leader
  10. press — newspapers
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cell — in biology
  14. press — to push
  15. band — a ring
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cell — a phone

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