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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: press · hide · pop · clip · patient · coach · club · mark

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pop — to visit
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. press — a publisher
  7. clip — for paper
  8. club — a group
  9. clip — to cut
  10. press — to push
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. club — for golf
  13. pop — music
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. clip — a video
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. press — newspapers
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pop — soda
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. mark — a trace

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