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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: cap · press · band · straw · stock · charge · mouse · key

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. key — the most important part
  3. band — a ring
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. press — newspapers
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. key — for a lock
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stock — shares
  13. cap — a hat
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. key — in music
  17. press — a publisher
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. press — to push
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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