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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 120 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: ground · patient · swing · present · saw · stem · file · press

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ground — the earth
  5. press — a publisher
  6. present — the time now
  7. ground — a position
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. saw — the tool
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. file — a document
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stem — to come from
  16. file — a tool
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. present — there
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. ground — crushed
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. file — a line of people
  24. present — a gift

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