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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: march · mouse · bat · patient · stand · coach · saw · press

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. press — a publisher
  3. march — the month
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. stand — to bear
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bat — the animal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. press — to push
  20. march — music
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. press — newspapers
  24. march — the month

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