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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: wound · stock · can · chest · net · shower · press · fine

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chest — of your body
  3. net — after costs
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. can — to be able to
  6. fine — all right
  7. stock — shares
  8. press — to push
  9. shower — rain
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stock — goods
  13. can — a tin
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. press — a publisher
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. net — in sport
  20. press — newspapers
  21. chest — a box
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. net — for catching
  24. fine — high quality

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