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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cell — in biology
  3. net — in sport
  4. press — to push
  5. staff — employees
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bark — to shout
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. staff — employees
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — after costs
  16. court — for sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. press — newspapers
  19. court — of law
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. court — of a king
  23. press — a publisher
  24. staff — a stick

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