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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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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: press · clip · charge · tube · row · wave · stock · firm

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. press — to push
  8. firm — steady
  9. tube — a container
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. clip — to cut
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. press — newspapers
  15. charge — a price
  16. clip — for paper
  17. firm — decided
  18. press — a publisher
  19. clip — a video
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. charge — in control
  23. firm — a company
  24. charge — electricity

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