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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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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: pitch · patient · cell · cap · press · saw

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. press — to push
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cap — a lid
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. saw — the tool
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pitch — completely
  17. saw — the tool
  18. patient — a sick person

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