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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. press — to push
  6. press — newspapers
  7. stock — goods
  8. tube — a container
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. season — in sport
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. tube — the underground
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rock — music
  18. season — of the year
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. stock — shares
  24. squash — to crush

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