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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: file · ground · pitcher · patient · lean · press · foot · bowl

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. ground — crushed
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lean — thin
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. press — to push
  14. lean — to bend
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. foot — a measure
  17. ground — a position
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. file — a tool
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. ground — the earth
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. file — a document

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