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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · spell · stock · chest · press · clip · temple · board

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tube — a container
  5. press — to push
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. chest — a box
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. tube — the underground
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stock — shares
  13. board — to get on
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stock — goods
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. clip — a video
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chest — of your body
  23. spell — magic
  24. board — a committee

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