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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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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: rock · press · mouse · bay · patient · hide · last · straw

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. last — to go on
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. press — to push
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. last — final
  9. press — newspapers
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rock — music
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. press — a publisher
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. last — finally
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. hide — animal skin

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