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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · mine · press · squash · object · pop · patient · season

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. press — a publisher
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mine — for digging
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. squash — the sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. press — to push
  12. season — of the year
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. season — in sport
  16. pop — music
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pop — soda
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. object — to protest
  24. mine — belonging to me

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