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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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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: game · toast · stand · press · stem · net · patient · fall

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fall — to drop
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stem — to come from
  7. press — to push
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. press — a publisher
  12. net — in sport
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. toast — bread
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. press — newspapers
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. net — for catching
  19. fall — the season
  20. net — after costs
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. game — a match
  24. toast — the most admired

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