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

Word bank: press · band · branch · kid · pass · stock

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. 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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. press — a publisher
  3. band — a ring
  4. press — to push
  5. stock — shares
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. kid — child
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. stock — goods
  16. band — a music group
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. 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