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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.

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: pop · clip · fine · fall · patient · ball · bass · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. press — to push
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fine — all right
  4. ball — a dance
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. fall — to drop
  10. clip — a video
  11. pop — soda
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bass — low music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pop — music
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fall — the season
  19. fine — high quality
  20. clip — for paper
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bass — the fish
  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