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

Word bank: press · patient · cold · leaves · present · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. cell — a phone
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cold — not warm
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. press — to push
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. present — the time now
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. press — a publisher
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cold — an illness
  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