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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: patient · saw · lie · file · press · degree · capital · mug

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a line of people
  4. saw — the tool
  5. degree — temperature
  6. capital — a city
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mug — a face
  9. press — a publisher
  10. degree — from a university
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mug — a cup
  13. capital — money
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. file — a tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mug — to rob
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. degree — an amount
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. file — a document

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