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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: press · file · patient · spell · rash · march · present · lie

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spell — magic
  4. march — the month
  5. press — a publisher
  6. file — a document
  7. spell — letters
  8. press — newspapers
  9. rash — hasty
  10. present — the time now
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. file — a tool
  14. march — music
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spell — a short time
  18. file — a line of people
  19. march — the month
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. lie — to recline
  22. present — a gift
  23. press — to push
  24. rash — a series

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