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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: tube · patient · press · mate · pit · wound · saw · bat

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. press — to push
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mate — to breed
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. press — a publisher
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wound — an injury
  11. press — newspapers
  12. tube — a container
  13. mate — a friend
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. saw — the tool

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