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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: kid · leaves · fork · press · rule · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. kid — to tease
  7. press — newspapers
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. press — to push
  12. rule — government
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. press — a publisher
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rule — a law
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. fork — to eat with

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