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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: land · tube · arm · mate · stock · press · charge · rush

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mate — to breed
  4. charge — in control
  5. press — a publisher
  6. charge — a price
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rush — hurry
  10. press — newspapers
  11. land — a country
  12. charge — electricity
  13. tube — a container
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mate — a friend
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. land — ground
  21. mate — a partner
  22. press — to push
  23. land — to come down
  24. arm — a part of something

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