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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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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: wound · patient · safe · object · capital · cell · deal · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. capital — a city
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. capital — money
  13. cell — in biology
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. object — a thing
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cell — a phone
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — to protest

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