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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: file · tear · rash · patient · press · hide · arm · foot

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. tear — to rip
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. press — newspapers
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. press — a publisher
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. rash — a series
  13. file — a tool
  14. press — to push
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. file — a document
  19. rash — hasty
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. file — a line of people
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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