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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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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: present · wound · patient · spring · drill · press · mine · tube

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. present — a gift
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. drill — the tool
  7. tube — the underground
  8. spring — the season
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spring — a coil
  15. drill — army training
  16. present — there
  17. present — the time now
  18. press — to push
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wound — an injury
  21. press — a publisher
  22. tube — a container
  23. press — newspapers
  24. spring — of water

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