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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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 — goods
  2. band — a music group
  3. mug — a face
  4. swing — music
  5. stock — shares
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. branch — a division
  10. band — a ring
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. press — to push
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mug — a cup
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mug — to rob
  20. swing — to play on
  21. press — a publisher
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bowl — a dish
  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