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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: spring · rest · mate · cabinet · pound · net · press · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spring — the season
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. mate — to breed
  6. press — a publisher
  7. net — for catching
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. net — in sport
  12. mate — a friend
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. press — to push
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. rest — a break
  21. net — after costs
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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