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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 120 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
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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 · patient · last · rule · fine · trunk · coach · perch

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. press — newspapers
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rule — a law
  9. fine — high quality
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. press — to push
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. perch — the fish
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fine — all right
  21. press — a publisher
  22. last — to go on
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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