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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.

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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: rest · bore · fine · cell · press · craft · patient · prune

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. press — a publisher
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fine — all right
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bore — to tire
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cell — in biology
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rest — a break
  19. press — to push
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bore — to drill

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