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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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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: cabinet · row · band · bat · fork · press · deal · patient

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bat — the animal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. deal — to handle
  7. band — a music group
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. row — a line
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. row — to paddle
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. press — a publisher
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fork — in a road
  24. band — a ring

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