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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fall · face · bulb · stick · board · net · patient

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — to get on
  6. net — for catching
  7. face — to confront
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. fall — to drop
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. board — a committee
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fall — the season

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