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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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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: kick · fall · nail · press · bat · patient · bank · file

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bank — for money
  7. bat — the animal
  8. file — a document
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fall — the season
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bank — of a river
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. kick — in football
  21. press — newspapers
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. press — to push
  24. bank — for money

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