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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: press · hand · perch · dip · march · arm · last · patient

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. last — finally
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. press — to push
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. last — final
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. dip — to sink
  14. perch — the fish
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. press — newspapers
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. last — to go on

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