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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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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 · bay · cap · patient · arm · spell · toast · wind

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. spell — letters
  9. cap — a lid
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. press — to push
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wind — moving air
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — bread
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. wind — moving air
  24. arm — part of the body

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