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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 120 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: squash · cap · press · sharp · patient · snap · clip · hide

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. clip — to cut
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cap — a hat
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. squash — to crush
  11. press — a publisher
  12. clip — a video
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. snap — to click
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. clip — for paper
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. press — to push
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — the sport
  24. patient — a sick person

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