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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: pitcher · patient · press · date · lean · rule · bass · chest

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bass — low music
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lean — to bend
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — to push
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rule — government
  13. lean — thin
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chest — of your body
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. chest — a box
  19. press — a publisher
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rule — a law
  24. lean — to rest against

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