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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: pitcher · prune · stock · saw · press · content · foot · stick

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stock — shares
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stock — goods
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. foot — a measure
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. prune — to trim
  19. saw — the tool
  20. content — the amount
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. saw — the tool
  24. foot — the bottom

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