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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · rule · press · band · fork · dip

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rule — a law
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. press — newspapers
  9. band — a music group
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. stock — goods
  12. press — to push
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. stock — shares
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. band — a ring
  18. dip — a sauce

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