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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 120 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: row · rule · kid · ground · band · press · cap · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. kid — to tease
  3. press — newspapers
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. press — to push
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. band — a music group
  9. row — to paddle
  10. ground — a position
  11. rule — government
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cap — a lid
  16. row — a line
  17. rule — a law
  18. ground — the earth
  19. band — a ring
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cap — of ice
  23. stock — shares
  24. cap — a hat

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