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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: can · press · bulb · file · fall · hand · hide · patient

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. can — a tin
  3. bulb — for light
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. file — a tool
  18. hand — in cards
  19. can — a tin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. press — newspapers
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. can — to be able to

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