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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 · cell · sharp · spell · lean · last · patient · pound

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pound — a weight
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. sharp — clever
  7. spell — magic
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. lean — thin
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. spell — letters
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cell — a phone
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. spell — a short time
  19. last — final
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cell — in biology
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lean — to rest against

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