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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 116 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: cue · spring · rest · patient · drill · press · content · trunk

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. spring — a coil
  6. drill — army training
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. press — to push
  13. spring — the season
  14. drill — a practice
  15. content — happy
  16. cue — a signal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spring — of water
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rest — a break
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. content — the amount

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