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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 120 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: ground · press · cabinet · fan · spell · patient · squash · court

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ground — the earth
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. court — of a king
  13. spell — a short time
  14. ground — a position
  15. press — a publisher
  16. court — for sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. court — of law
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. press — to push
  24. cabinet — ministers

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