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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: stick · can · temple · straw · patient · lash · squash · press

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. press — newspapers
  5. squash — to crush
  6. press — a publisher
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. squash — the sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. press — to push
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. patient — a sick person

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