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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: season · rash · bowl · stock · pitch · tear · band · press

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rash — a series
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rash — hasty
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. season — in sport
  14. press — newspapers
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. season — of the year
  20. stock — goods
  21. press — to push
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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