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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: field · ball · cabinet · stand · bank · net · ruler · press

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. net — for catching
  3. ball — a dance
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ball — a great time
  8. field — farmland
  9. press — to push
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. net — after costs
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. net — in sport
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. press — a publisher
  18. field — for sport
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. press — newspapers
  22. field — a subject
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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