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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. board — to get on
  4. chest — of your body
  5. object — to protest
  6. band — a music group
  7. board — a committee
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. can — a tin
  12. chest — a box
  13. can — a tin
  14. band — a ring
  15. press — to push
  16. stock — goods
  17. press — a publisher
  18. object — an aim
  19. stock — shares
  20. chest — of your body
  21. can — to be able to
  22. object — a thing
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. press — newspapers

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