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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. clip — to cut
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. press — newspapers
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. press — to push
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. press — a publisher
  12. band — a music group
  13. stock — goods
  14. clip — for paper
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rule — a law
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. band — a ring
  19. clip — a video
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. stock — a soup base

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