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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: saw · rock · snap · press · patient · object · stock · date

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stock — shares
  3. press — newspapers
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. date — the fruit
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. saw — the tool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. press — to push
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. object — an aim
  19. stock — goods
  20. rock — a stone
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. press — a publisher
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. saw — the tool

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