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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: lean · press · current · bound · straw · stock · mouse · capital

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. current — of water
  3. capital — a city
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stock — shares
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. capital — money
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. current — electric
  13. bound — tied together
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. lean — thin
  17. current — happening now
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. stock — goods
  22. bound — certain
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lean — to bend

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