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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: saw · patient · lie · fork · toast · bulb · cap · press

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. press — newspapers
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cap — a lid
  11. press — to push
  12. cap — a hat
  13. toast — bread
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. lie — to recline

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