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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: patient · can · press · fan · land · pound · mug · staff

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. press — newspapers
  3. land — to come down
  4. pound — a weight
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. staff — employees
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. land — ground
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. can — to be able to
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. press — to push
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mug — a face
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. land — a country

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