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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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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: patient · ground · pitcher · press · perch · squash · ruler · current

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. current — electric
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. current — happening now
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. squash — to crush
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. squash — the sport
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. press — to push
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. perch — the fish
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. current — of water

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