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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 116 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: cabinet · race · patient · season · press · fall · nail · branch

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. press — to push
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. press — newspapers
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. branch — a division
  11. press — a publisher
  12. season — in sport
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. race — a contest
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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