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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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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: present · bay · patient · clip · rock · press

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rock — a stone
  5. present — there
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. press — newspapers
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rock — music
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. clip — for paper
  16. present — the time now
  17. clip — a video
  18. bay — to keep at bay

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