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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: snap · cabinet · stem · pit · patient · cold · press · stick

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. press — to push
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stem — to come from
  12. press — newspapers
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pit — in a race
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cold — not warm
  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