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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: snap · hide · patient · lie · press · pitcher · wound · field

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. wound — an injury
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lie — to recline
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. field — for sport
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. press — to push
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. press — newspapers
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wound — an injury
  17. press — a publisher
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. field — farmland
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. field — a subject

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