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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: press · present · straw · bass · wave · patient · foot · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. present — there
  4. bass — the fish
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. press — newspapers
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. content — happy
  10. bass — low music
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. foot — a measure
  16. present — a gift
  17. press — a publisher
  18. present — the time now
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. press — to push
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. content — videos and posts

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