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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: patient · mark · rash · mouse · press · tube · nail · date

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rash — a series
  6. tube — a container
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. press — to push
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mark — a grade
  16. press — newspapers
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. tube — the underground
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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