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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · patient · rash · cap · chip · safe · bass · press

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. press — a publisher
  4. spring — the season
  5. press — to push
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spring — of water
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cap — of ice
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cap — a hat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rash — a series
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bass — low music
  23. rash — hasty
  24. chip — for betting

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