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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: press · patient · wake · key · chest · row · pass · bay

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. key — the most important part
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. press — a publisher
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. row — to paddle
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. chest — of your body
  21. key — in music
  22. pass — a permit
  23. press — newspapers
  24. chest — a box

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