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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stock — goods
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. track — a song
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stock — shares
  13. bass — low music
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. press — to push
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. press — newspapers
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bound — tied together

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