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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: kid · leaves · fork · press · rule · patient · bowl · lash

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. fork — in a road
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rule — a law
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. press — a publisher
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. press — newspapers
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. press — to push

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