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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 · rush · bound · patient · tear · fan · safe · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. rush — hurry
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. press — newspapers
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bound — certain
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. press — to push
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. press — a publisher
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bound — tied together
  18. tear — from crying
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bound — obliged
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rush — a thrill

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