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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: drill · face · ground · bulb · press · coach · board · patient

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. ground — crushed
  3. face — to point toward
  4. ground — the earth
  5. board — to get on
  6. ground — a position
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. drill — the tool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. board — a committee
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. face — to confront
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. press — a publisher
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bulb — for light
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. drill — army training
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bulb — for light
  22. face — part of the head
  23. press — newspapers
  24. drill — a practice

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