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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: cabinet · current · scale · chest · bark · stand · bulb · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. current — electric
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. current — happening now
  6. bark — to shout
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. chest — a box
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bulb — for light
  12. press — to push
  13. stand — to bear
  14. chest — of your body
  15. press — newspapers
  16. current — of water
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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