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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · drill · bear · bank · sharp · cell · net · press

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mate — a friend
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. mate — to breed
  5. net — in sport
  6. bear — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. drill — army training
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. press — to push
  13. bank — for money
  14. cell — in biology
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mate — a partner
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bank — of a river
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bank — for money

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