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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.

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: cabinet · press · bark · patient · vault · net

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. press — to push
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. press — a publisher
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — for catching
  18. cabinet — ministers

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