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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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: press · bass · rest · spring · patient · content · fine · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. press — to push
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rest — a break
  5. bass — low music
  6. spring — the season
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. content — the amount
  9. press — a publisher
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. press — newspapers
  19. fine — all right
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. spring — of water
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. spring — a coil

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