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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: straw · press · arm · patient · cabinet · cold · racket · board

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. press — a publisher
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. cold — not warm
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. cabinet — ministers

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