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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.

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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: wound · bulb · snap · bay · press · wind · coach · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. snap — to click
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. press — newspapers
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wound — an injury
  22. press — to push
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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