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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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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: rash · bound · press · fork · racket · patient · lie · pop

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bound — certain
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. press — to push
  8. fork — in a road
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pop — music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. pop — to visit
  18. press — a publisher
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pop — soda
  24. lie — an untruth

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