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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: can · press · chair · cap · bass · roll · prune · stock

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. roll — a cake
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stock — shares
  6. can — a tin
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bass — low music
  11. roll — a list
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. press — newspapers
  15. stock — goods
  16. can — a tin
  17. press — a publisher
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bass — the fish
  22. press — to push
  23. chair — a leader
  24. can — to be able to

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