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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: pitcher · prune · stock · land · press · patient · cabinet · lie

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stock — goods
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. press — to push
  10. land — ground
  11. prune — to trim
  12. land — to come down
  13. stock — shares
  14. land — a country
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lie — to recline
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pitcher — a jug

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