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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: stem · toast · fork · press · spring · patient · wound · vault

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wound — an injury
  3. press — a publisher
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — a safe
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. fork — in a road
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. press — to push
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. stem — to come from
  16. press — newspapers
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. spring — the season
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. toast — bread

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