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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 116 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: press · dip · pitch · rash · pitcher · patient · branch · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. press — to push
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. pitch — completely
  11. kid — child
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. kid — to tease
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. press — a publisher
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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