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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: season · calf · bore · can · cell · press · patient · pass

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bore — to tire
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. can — a tin
  9. press — newspapers
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. press — a publisher
  15. can — to be able to
  16. pass — a permit
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bore — to drill
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. can — a tin
  21. season — in sport
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cell — in biology
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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