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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: hand · stem · tear · bore · cabinet · net · press · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. press — to push
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. net — in sport
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bore — to tire
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. cue — a signal
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. stem — to come from
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bore — to drill

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