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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 120 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 · patient · squash · arm · plane · hand · fall · root

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fall — to drop
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. root — of a plant
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. root — the cause
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fall — the season
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. squash — to crush
  14. plane — a tool
  15. press — newspapers
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. squash — the sport
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. fall — to drop
  20. root — of a word
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. press — to push

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