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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 120 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: branch · stock · press · march · bat · squash · ball · safe

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — to push
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stock — goods
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. press — a publisher
  10. stock — shares
  11. squash — the sport
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. march — the month
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. ball — a dance
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bat — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. branch — a division
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bat — in an idiom

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