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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: trunk · ground · pass · patient · press · dip · lie · sharp

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. press — to push
  3. ground — a position
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. sharp — clever
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. dip — to sink
  12. lie — to recline
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. dip — to dunk

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