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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: fan · date · press · patient · club · scale · spring · dip

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. club — for golf
  4. spring — the season
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spring — of water
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. press — to push
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. club — a group
  15. dip — to sink
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. press — newspapers
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. press — a publisher
  21. date — the fruit
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. spring — a coil
  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