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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: game · patient · pound · bear · lie · toast · spring · press

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bear — the animal
  4. press — newspapers
  5. game — wild animals
  6. press — a publisher
  7. spring — of water
  8. lie — to recline
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. press — to push
  19. pound — a weight
  20. toast — bread
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spring — the season

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