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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
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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: rest · bass · wake · press · saw · bat · chip · patient

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rest — what's left
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bass — low music
  16. press — to push
  17. rest — a break
  18. bass — the fish
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. chip — to eat
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wake — a trail
  23. press — newspapers
  24. patient — a sick person

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