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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: net · cabinet · press · stem · mouse · mate · court · lean

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. net — in sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mate — a partner
  12. lean — thin
  13. mate — a friend
  14. press — to push
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mate — to breed
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. net — for catching
  23. court — for sport
  24. lean — to rest against

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