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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: cold · stand · hand · press · ground · lie · bowl · patient

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. hand — help
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. press — to push
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. press — newspapers
  13. ground — a position
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. press — a publisher
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cold — an illness
  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