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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: stem · bark · press · bowl · ground · patient · bank · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. kick — with a leg
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. press — to push
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bank — for money
  12. bark — to shout
  13. kick — in football
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. press — newspapers
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. ground — crushed
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bank — for money
  21. ground — a position
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bank — of a river
  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