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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: cold · land · fan · rest · racket · firm · press · patient

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. land — ground
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rest — what's left
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. firm — a company
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. press — to push
  9. cold — an illness
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rest — what's left
  12. firm — steady
  13. rest — a break
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. land — to come down
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. firm — decided
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cold — not warm
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. land — a country

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