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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: prune · chair · stock · fall · press · roll · pass · cap

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. press — a publisher
  3. roll — a list
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cap — a lid
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cap — of ice
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stock — goods
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — the season
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stock — shares
  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