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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: pass · press · patient · foot · cabinet · trunk · clip · cold

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. clip — to cut
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — to push
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pass — a permit
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. press — a publisher
  24. clip — a video

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