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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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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: press · fall · patient · wake · mate · kid · bear · jam

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. press — a publisher
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mate — a friend
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mate — to breed
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fall — the season
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. fall — to drop
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. fall — to drop
  20. press — to push
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mate — a partner

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