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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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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: jam · season · press · kid · patient · lie · hand · rash

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. season — of the year
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — to push
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rash — hasty
  14. season — in sport
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rash — a series
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lie — to recline
  20. kid — child
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. hand — in cards
  24. season — to add flavour

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