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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: arm · prune · ball · season · press · stock · swing · cabinet

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. 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. stock — shares
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. press — a publisher
  5. season — of the year
  6. press — to push
  7. swing — music
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. season — in sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. swing — in golf
  17. stock — goods
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ball — a great time
  20. swing — to play on
  21. ball — a dance
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. 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