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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · fork · press · mine · bark · lean · pass · patient

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mine — for digging
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. press — to push
  8. bark — to shout
  9. lean — thin
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fork — in a road
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pass — a permit
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. patient — a sick person

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