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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 120 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: land · rock · club · patient · leaves · press · bat · lean

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. press — to push
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. lean — thin
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bat — the animal
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. land — a country
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. club — for golf
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rock — music
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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