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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.

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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: rest · patient · press · club · hand · bowl · wound · ball

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. hand — help
  4. wound — an injury
  5. press — to push
  6. rest — a break
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. club — for golf
  15. wound — an injury
  16. press — newspapers
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. ball — a dance
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rest — what's left
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. hand — in cards

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