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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: press · bass · cue · tear · straw · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. press — to push
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bass — the fish
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. press — a publisher
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bass — low music
  12. cue — a hint
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cue — a signal
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. tear — from crying
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tear — to rip

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