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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: tube · roll · plane · date · patient · present · press · lean

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. present — there
  5. press — to push
  6. tube — a container
  7. press — a publisher
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. roll — a cake
  11. tube — the underground
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. date — the fruit
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. plane — a tool
  20. press — newspapers
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. tube — in a tire

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