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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 116 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: safe · patient · season · hand · march · cabinet · net · press

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. press — to push
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. season — of the year
  8. press — newspapers
  9. hand — help
  10. net — in sport
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. press — a publisher
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. hand — in cards
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. march — the month
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cabinet — ministers

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