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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · stock · pound · cabinet · kid · pitcher · press · fall

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. press — to push
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. fall — the season
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. press — a publisher
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kid — child
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. fall — to drop

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