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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spring — the season
  4. stock — goods
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bore — to drill
  8. season — of the year
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. spring — a coil
  12. board — to get on
  13. stock — shares
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. season — in sport
  24. spring — of water

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