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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: bark · toast · cabinet · net · spring · track · land · press

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. toast — bread
  3. net — in sport
  4. bark — to shout
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. net — for catching
  7. land — a country
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. land — ground
  11. press — to push
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. track — a path
  15. spring — the season
  16. land — to come down
  17. track — a song
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. track — to keep track
  23. spring — of water
  24. net — after costs

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