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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: stock · squash · patient · dip · bark · press · net · hide

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bark — to shout
  3. press — newspapers
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. squash — to crush
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stock — shares
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. press — a publisher
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — in sport
  14. stock — goods
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. net — for catching
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. dip — to sink
  22. press — to push
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stock — a soup base

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