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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 116 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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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: file · cap · patient · cell · lash · root · row · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. file — a document
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cell — a phone
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. root — of a plant
  8. cap — a hat
  9. root — of a word
  10. press — newspapers
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. file — a tool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. row — a line
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. press — to push
  20. root — the cause
  21. file — a line of people
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lash — to lash out

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