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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. last — to go on
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. press — a publisher
  7. can — to be able to
  8. press — newspapers
  9. current — electric
  10. land — a country
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. current — happening now
  13. last — final
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. branch — a division
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. land — ground
  18. last — finally
  19. land — to come down
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. can — a tin
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. press — to push
  24. current — 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