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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: present · stand · race · date · spring · press · ruler · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. spring — of water
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. race — the arms race
  9. spring — a coil
  10. present — there
  11. date — the fruit
  12. spring — the season
  13. race — humankind
  14. present — the time now
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. present — a gift
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. stand — to bear
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. race — a contest
  24. press — newspapers

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