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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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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: stick · club · pound · press · saw · snap · season · stock

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stock — goods
  4. snap — to click
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. club — a group
  8. press — a publisher
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. stock — shares
  11. club — for dancing
  12. press — to push
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. club — for golf
  18. season — of the year
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. season — in sport
  21. pound — a weight
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pound — to hit hard

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