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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · bark · press · coach · present · hide · patient · swing

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bore — to tire
  3. present — there
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. press — a publisher
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. swing — in golf
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. swing — music
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bore — to drill
  12. present — the time now
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bark — to shout
  23. patient — a sick person
  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