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

Word bank: snap · last · patient · tear · press · mark

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mark — a grade
  4. tear — to rip
  5. press — to push
  6. mark — a trace
  7. last — finally
  8. press — a publisher
  9. tear — from crying
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. last — to go on
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. last — final
  18. press — newspapers

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