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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: fall · trunk · press · date · swing · patient · rest · hand

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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. rest — what's left
  4. swing — music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rest — a break
  8. hand — help
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. swing — to play on
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fall — the season
  14. date — the fruit
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rest — what's left
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. press — newspapers
  21. fall — to drop
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hand — in cards

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