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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: ball · net · press · bark · plane · field · chest · stem

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. plane — a tool
  3. ball — a great time
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. net — after costs
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. field — for sport
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ball — a dance
  13. field — farmland
  14. press — to push
  15. chest — of your body
  16. field — a subject
  17. net — for catching
  18. bark — to shout
  19. net — in sport
  20. chest — a box
  21. stem — to come from
  22. press — a publisher
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. chest — of your body

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