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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: cold · racket · date · board · cabinet · bark · press · stand

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. press — to push
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stand — to bear
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. bark — to shout
  12. press — a publisher
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. cold — an illness
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. date — the fruit

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