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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: rest · mine · press · mate · roll · bass · can · patient

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mate — a friend
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bass — the fish
  8. press — newspapers
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mine — for digging
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rest — what's left
  15. can — to be able to
  16. press — to push
  17. can — a tin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. can — a tin
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bass — low music
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rest — a break

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