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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: staff · capital · rest · nail · mine · mug · press · stock

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mug — to rob
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — goods
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. mug — a cup
  11. press — to push
  12. mug — a face
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. staff — employees
  18. press — a publisher
  19. stock — shares
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. rest — what's left

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