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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.

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: plane · stand · patient · bound · trunk · net · press · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. bound — certain
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. net — in sport
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. net — after costs
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stand — to bear
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bound — tied together
  18. plane — a tool
  19. net — for catching
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bound — obliged
  24. plane — in geometry

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