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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.

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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: lean · court · ground · bulb · game · lie · patient · press

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. court — for sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. court — of a king
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ground — a position
  8. court — of law
  9. lean — thin
  10. press — a publisher
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. game — a match
  13. ground — the earth
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. press — to push
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. lean — to bend
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. press — newspapers

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