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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 · leaves · bowl · firm · clip · court · craft · patient

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. court — for sport
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. clip — a video
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. firm — decided
  7. clip — to cut
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. press — to push
  10. firm — steady
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. craft — boats
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. clip — for paper
  19. press — newspapers
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. craft — a skill
  24. firm — a company

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