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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: mate · patient · pitcher · rock · straw · root · board · press

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. press — to push
  3. board — to get on
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. press — a publisher
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rock — music
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. root — of a word
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. root — the cause
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. board — a committee
  24. straw — a straw man

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