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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: hand · wound · press · cold · patient · arm · swing · bore

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. swing — in golf
  6. hand — help
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wound — an injury
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cold — not warm
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. swing — music
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cold — an illness
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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