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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: press · arm · snap · kick · rash · ground · leaves · patient

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. kick — in football
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. press — a publisher
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. press — newspapers
  8. ground — a position
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. press — to push
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. snap — to click
  16. ground — crushed
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rash — a series
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. leaves — to go away

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