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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 116 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: bore · bank · fork · cap · stem · press · rash · patient

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. press — to push
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bore — to drill
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fork — in a road
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. cap — a hat
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. press — newspapers
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bank — of a river

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